[She murmurs quietly with a sigh against his lips, but she can feel her pulse already racing again at their closeness. There's a surge of heat that picks up around them in a hot breeze, and it swirls the stars and the snowflakes around, and Tifa waits with bated breath to see if any more of those stars will crackle and explode...
...
...
So far, so good. Her eyes move up to his, and she brushes their lips together again, and—
Pop!
That one startles her as it's right near her ear.]
[His laugh is a little louder this time before he looks down at her, his eyes seeming to sparkle a little with the lights and snow twinkling around them.]
All right, I'll stop.
[She's just so easy to tease...and he only ever feels so careless and carefree when he's around her. To relax and fool around, acting a little differently than he usually does. It's coming out more and more, little by little with others, but it's really only because of her that it is.
So he loosens his grip and readjusts his hands to properly her, guiding her back into the dance.]
[Her hand gives the side of his face a gentle pat before it moves back to rest on his shoulder, and as he brings her back into the dance, she realizes that there's no shortage of stars for them. As they start the dance over again, Tifa peeks up every now and then to see that the number of them grows, more and more blinking to life right over their heads whenever she looks at him. So many that they've started to twinkle around them too, and it's like they're dancing with the stars rather than beneath them.
A few of them do crack like fireworks when Eustace twirls her, or when their noses touch, or when she spots the softness in his expression and behind his eyes. Or if he does end up teasing her again...
By the time they start to reach the climax of the song, she already has rosy cheeks and is almost breathless with joy. And she's only tripped again once! They're surrounded by little lights, snowflakes, and the flames and lightning from before are snapping through the air again, whirling around for added effect.
Tifa watches it all before she's turning back to him as the song builds...]
[With each step and flourish, although it's subtle and not too overwhelming, he does feel a gentle build up of his general feelings for Tifa, especially as he watches her expressions and seeing how happy and content she is. All of which is reflected in the atmosphere around them. The flickering lights, the crackling snowflakes, the occasional pops—they all elicit soft smiles, warm chuckles, and the temptation to pull her in closer. Again he can only quietly marvel at how he's able to have this kind of experience of joy and love, a life with another. He never would have thought of it, not even in a dream.
Which just makes this all the more meaningful and special for him. His once cold, broken heart now warm and healed.
Until at last they reach that moment and with only a mischievous smile and a glint in his eyes as her "warning" of what's to come. The winds build around them, scattering the flower petals and snowflakes further up and around them as the electricity in each snowflake crackle brighter to illuminate them. At the right moment, Eustace lifts Tifa up for spin, pivoting on his heel in place so that the skirt of her dress flares out for two revolutions before he drops her down just enough so that he can catch her with a kiss.
Surely that should cause a few explosions of dreamotion, and if so it would be a colorful mix of ice, lightning, and fire.]
[It certainly does create an eruption of dreamotion—one much bigger than she anticipated as he lifts her for those spins, and brings her in for a kiss with his arms completely and wholly embracing her. Every star that they've created, every little snowflake that flutters in that warm breeze, every flame and burst of electricity burst into a skyscape of fireworks that completely drown them in shades of red, purple, blue, and yellow.
And at the same time their lips meet, flames swirl around them and flare outward, lighting up the ground in the shape of a starflower.
Yet, even as the spectacle happens all around them, Tifa holds him to their kiss, her hands wrapping around to the back of his head to greedily keep him to her for just a little big longer before she frees him. She does want to see what they've created, and her eyes go wide and her mouth falls open in awe when she looks up, her laughter bubbling up in her chest and bursting out of her.]
There are hundreds of them...!
[The fireworks go off in sequences, like one sets off the next and then the next, until—]
Ah—!
[Several of them crackle and pop right next to them, setting off another chain reaction. It startles her, and she clings to Eustace as if he were a lifeline and a shield.]
[They are anything but harmful—whenever one spark or flame or firework comes close enough that it brushes her skin, it tingles and leaves her feeling giddy and warm.]
Is it...? That was bigger than I thought it would be...
[They are completely surrounded by stars, and even from here, she can barely see the steel plate over their heads from behind them, the lights and fireworks completely shrouding them from the rest of the world.]
[He deserves a little swat on the shoulder for that.]
Nothing will!
[So far so good, at least. Tifa hasn't burned down all of this dream version of Sector Seven even with all of her emotions running at an all-time high. She'd call that a win.
But as the song begins its gradual descent to its conclusion at last, her expression warms, her eyes soften, and she looks from the stars to him, and her forehead comes to down to rest against his as gently presses their lips together.
And there, she whispers the words of the song under her breath, as if she were only speaking loud enough for them to hear, even if they are the only two people in this world.]
You know I want you... It's not a secret I try to hide...
[The rest she leaves out, now that the final two lines are no longer applicable to them, and instead, once the world goes silent except for the twinkling sounds of the stars, she seals it all with—]
[He does and he just takes it, that smile never wavering. Even when she presses her forehead against his he just continues to smile, content. Happy. And then when she quietly sings, and her proposal...
His smile lifts a little more.]
I know you want me You are the one I was meant to find.
[A bit of ablibbing, but it works. A verse for a verse to mirror her.]
Yes.
[Always.
He'll seal the vow with a kiss of his own, his arms tightening around her as lips press firmly against her, more snowflakes and petals bursting around them.]
[Everything about this moment is perfect, and the only thing that could make it more perfect is for it to be their wedding day. For him to be holding her up with their arms around one another in this little envelope of stars and lights and snowflakes that they've created for themselves. For her to be in her wedding dress with flowers in her hair. For their friends to be with them, celebrating and laughing and smiling alongside both herself and Eustace.
The image of it is so perfect that, as he returns the words to her, she wants to cry. She doesn't—she'll save the rest of her joyful tears for the wedding day because Shiva only knows she's going to need them, but she does steady herself with a quivering breath that spreads over his lips as he kisses her.
Back then, when they had said those words—"marry me"—they had no idea what it meant. Too caught up in the moment to care or realize, or even pause to think that maybe it would lead somewhere in the end... but back then, she didn't think it would ever take her here. From a pretend wedding that she wished, in the back of her mind, was real, to a wedding that is looming just on the horizon.
[He continues to hold her in place, the kiss drawing out longer yet remaining gentle and sweet. It doesn't matter how long he holds her up, he could carry her until the end of time and never grow tired.
A soft laugh escapes him as he quietly kisses her before answering.]
...After everything we've been through? We better be.
[All the torment, the agony, the grief and pain... In truth it would not be surprising if everything ended far earlier. People can only take so much, endure so much. He himself had faltered... Had thought it better to let her go. It was foolish, of course, and she more than once proved it to him. In that regard he still has some regrets in his momentary weakness.
Yet he no longer allows it to cripple him, instead using it as a reason to push forward. So he pulls her back in for a more heated kiss, a desperate one—one that conveys that emotional weight that they've built and carry together. One that causes the stars and the snowflakes to kick up in a powerful wind, bursting higher and louder in the air.
Even after he finally releases her lips, his eyes remain heavy with that resolve and conviction, that innate desire to prove his devotion and loyalty to her.]
We'll be fine.
[For the wedding, for their future, for whatever is in front of them. So long as they stay together and hold each other up when the other one falls and pick up the pieces, he fully believes they can handle anything.
Including beating this world and find a way to truly live out their dreams together.]
[A flutter in her stomach kicks up that's both nervous and positively smitten, and there's a small, anxious buzz that's like noise in her head, but all of it is quickly drowned out when he crashes their lips together again, offering her all of the reassurance that words alone can't carry on their own. And she returns it, pouring all of her own feelings into it and deepening the kiss, her hands on his face keeping him in place as she tries with all her might to pass on what she wishes to tell him.
All the things that are overwhelming her right now and have been for some time.
It's true that after everything they've been through, it would almost feel silly not to be prepared for a wedding, but it's also for that very reason that she's been feeling the way she has been.]
... I'm still a little nervous.
[It's said under a breath as she nuzzles their noses together, and while it's calmed a bit for now, she knows that as soon as this little pocket in time of theirs ends, it's going to all come flooding back.]
[He only gently rubs his lips against hers as he speaks quietly in return.]
Don't be.
[Is it surprising or not that he isn't? That isn't to say he is completely calm, but... He is more than ready for this now. He's accepted everything and he just wants it to be done so they can continue to move forward and build on their relationship.]
[Besides the fact that there still remains so much to be done before the wedding, all the little things that she hasn't been able to check off their list yet, it's that their good luck has always been something of a capricious presence in their time here. Things have been better lately, and she's grateful for it, but there is that small, tiny part of her that is anxious that something will go wrong, or even that she'll be forgetting something that she won't realize until the day of, or her dress won't fit, or...
But she also knows that wallowing in those thoughts isn't going to do her any good either. Like him, she wants to press on and keep moving forward with their lives together. So much has happened, but there's still so much in store for them after, too. So much that she still wants to do and accomplish with him.
It's true, and he's right—she shouldn't need to worry about anything at all. As long as he's there with her, and as long as he continues to be, then there's not a whole lot more that she can ask for.]
I know.
[She breathes out a soft laugh as she's burying her face into the crook of his neck.]
And I know you'll just snipe down whatever it is that's bothering us.
[A joke, for the most part, but the true part is that she knows that he'll do whatever it takes to protect her and their wedding day.]
But still. It's a big day. A lot's going to be happening, and I just want it to be... perfect.
[He turns his head slightly to look at her before he closes his eyes, holding her close to him.]
...Perhaps it's callous of me to think this way, but while I also wish for it to be perfect...at the end of the day, as long as we can say our vows and be together, then it'll be perfect for me.
That said, if there is something that's worrying you, you can tell me. You know I'll be there to help you. If not me, then any of our friends.
She thinks it's sweet, especially when she thinks back on their first meetings in Camelot. How, back then, he never seemed quite as eager to spend time with her as she was him, or to get to know her as much as she wanted to know him. And now, here he is telling her that all he wants out of that day is to promise to spend the rest of his life with her...
But what's worrying Tifa?]
Our luck's not exactly been the greatest here. I know it's silly to worry about, but I can't help but think, in the back of my mind, that maybe I'm missing something. The more perfect things are, the more I start to wonder.
[...Ah. There's a small nod of his head as he reflects on the shit luck they've had in this world and releases a small sigh.]
I know. There's only so much we can do... And nothing will ever go perfectly as planned. There will be mishaps and unforeseen circumstances, big or small. However, we won't be alone.
[He lightly bumps his head against hers.]
We'll have the support of our friends who will also do their best to keep things go as smoothly as possible, and should anything happen they will be there to help.
We can do everything we can on our side... But we should also trust in them as well.
[She laughs when he bumps his head on hers, and she lets herself lean against him.]
I know... It's just...
[There's a brief pause where Tifa takes in a breath, and then lets it all out in a sigh.]
Maybe I just got so used to trying to do everything on my own. Easy to forget sometimes that there are others who want to help...
[At that, she lifts her face from his shoulder and looks through the veil of stars to her bar on the other side of them.]
I was by myself for a long time so I just had to make it work. Old habits die hard, as they say...
[For someone like Tifa, who never had so many friends since she was a girl, sometimes it's hard to remember and remind herself that she doesn't have to do anything alone anymore. She has Eustace especially, but more than that, a whole network of people who she knows would step up to help them and who want to make sure that the day is everything it should be. But she knows that Eustace understands and won't judge her for it, which is why it's so much easier for her to admit something like that out loud these days...]
[He can't help but smile as he does indeed see himself in her.]
I know, and you know I was and still am the same way. But I'm getting better at it...
[He finally sets her down, but his arms remain around her.]
...And it helped that I did have a group I could finally trust in. Because of that, I know I can trust in our friends. They've already proven themselves once.
[As still painful as it is to remember that time, they can't discount the tremendous effort their friends pulled when he turned noctaere. They wouldn't be here without them for certain.
He gently brushes his lips against the top of her head.]
[The moment that he sets her feet back on the ground, she rests all of her weight against him, allowing herself to relax as her head tips forward to lean into his lips brushing over her hair.]
You think so...? I'm not sure I will...
[Even if she knows that she can trust their friends through thick and thin... If they pulled through those couple of months ago for them in less happy circumstances, she knows and can't even begin to imagine the lengths they would go to make sure that the "happiest day of their lives" isn't anything short of that.
But it's hard to break out of that mindset that she needs to do it all herself. Even harder when there are people that she cares about so dearly that she wants to do everything for them.
Her arms slide around him and rub up and down his back as she looks around at the stars.]
I just want everyone to be able to enjoy themselves... I want it to be memorable for them, too. Not just for us.
[Seriously, look who she's talking to. The epitome Mr. Lone Wolf himself. But she does have a different hurdle compared to him. He kept away to do everything for himself, she wants to do everything for others.]
And they will. But they won't if they see you worrying too much...they want you to enjoy yourself, too. [He gently rubs her back in turn as if to soothe her.] You just need to find a balance...
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
flamekthunder) wrote2025-04-07 09:12 pm
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Spoke too soon.
[But he just grins as he just takes the opportunity to pull her in closer and bring his lips to hers, kissing her gently.]
Will you be able to stay calm enough to not let the fireworks off early...?
[A terrible tease as he nibbles on her lips, as if trying to provoke her. No, he really is trying to provoke her.]
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[She murmurs quietly with a sigh against his lips, but she can feel her pulse already racing again at their closeness. There's a surge of heat that picks up around them in a hot breeze, and it swirls the stars and the snowflakes around, and Tifa waits with bated breath to see if any more of those stars will crackle and explode...
...
...
So far, so good. Her eyes move up to his, and she brushes their lips together again, and—
Pop!
That one startles her as it's right near her ear.]
That one was your fault.
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How is it my fault? I didn't do anything.
[Except exist and tease her emotions like this. His hand may also be teasingly moving along the side of her waist.]
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... Wait until after the dance? Don't want all the stars to explode before the grand finale, do we?
[They both have to practice for the wedding!!!
And for very different reasons...]
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All right, I'll stop.
[She's just so easy to tease...and he only ever feels so careless and carefree when he's around her. To relax and fool around, acting a little differently than he usually does. It's coming out more and more, little by little with others, but it's really only because of her that it is.
So he loosens his grip and readjusts his hands to properly her, guiding her back into the dance.]
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[Her hand gives the side of his face a gentle pat before it moves back to rest on his shoulder, and as he brings her back into the dance, she realizes that there's no shortage of stars for them. As they start the dance over again, Tifa peeks up every now and then to see that the number of them grows, more and more blinking to life right over their heads whenever she looks at him. So many that they've started to twinkle around them too, and it's like they're dancing with the stars rather than beneath them.
A few of them do crack like fireworks when Eustace twirls her, or when their noses touch, or when she spots the softness in his expression and behind his eyes. Or if he does end up teasing her again...
By the time they start to reach the climax of the song, she already has rosy cheeks and is almost breathless with joy. And she's only tripped again once! They're surrounded by little lights, snowflakes, and the flames and lightning from before are snapping through the air again, whirling around for added effect.
Tifa watches it all before she's turning back to him as the song builds...]
... You ready?
[She has no idea what to expect...]
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Which just makes this all the more meaningful and special for him. His once cold, broken heart now warm and healed.
Until at last they reach that moment and with only a mischievous smile and a glint in his eyes as her "warning" of what's to come. The winds build around them, scattering the flower petals and snowflakes further up and around them as the electricity in each snowflake crackle brighter to illuminate them. At the right moment, Eustace lifts Tifa up for spin, pivoting on his heel in place so that the skirt of her dress flares out for two revolutions before he drops her down just enough so that he can catch her with a kiss.
Surely that should cause a few explosions of dreamotion, and if so it would be a colorful mix of ice, lightning, and fire.]
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And at the same time their lips meet, flames swirl around them and flare outward, lighting up the ground in the shape of a starflower.
Yet, even as the spectacle happens all around them, Tifa holds him to their kiss, her hands wrapping around to the back of his head to greedily keep him to her for just a little big longer before she frees him. She does want to see what they've created, and her eyes go wide and her mouth falls open in awe when she looks up, her laughter bubbling up in her chest and bursting out of her.]
There are hundreds of them...!
[The fireworks go off in sequences, like one sets off the next and then the next, until—]
Ah—!
[Several of them crackle and pop right next to them, setting off another chain reaction. It startles her, and she clings to Eustace as if he were a lifeline and a shield.]
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Too much?
[But he'll protect her in his own way, keeping a bit of wind so that the sparks don't hit them, even if they would be harmless.]
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Is it...? That was bigger than I thought it would be...
[They are completely surrounded by stars, and even from here, she can barely see the steel plate over their heads from behind them, the lights and fireworks completely shrouding them from the rest of the world.]
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[A small laugh.]
As long as nothing catches on fire.
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Nothing will!
[So far so good, at least. Tifa hasn't burned down all of this dream version of Sector Seven even with all of her emotions running at an all-time high. She'd call that a win.
But as the song begins its gradual descent to its conclusion at last, her expression warms, her eyes soften, and she looks from the stars to him, and her forehead comes to down to rest against his as gently presses their lips together.
And there, she whispers the words of the song under her breath, as if she were only speaking loud enough for them to hear, even if they are the only two people in this world.]
You know I want you...
It's not a secret I try to hide...
[The rest she leaves out, now that the final two lines are no longer applicable to them, and instead, once the world goes silent except for the twinkling sounds of the stars, she seals it all with—]
... Marry me.
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His smile lifts a little more.]
I know you want me
You are the one I was meant to find.
[A bit of ablibbing, but it works. A verse for a verse to mirror her.]
Yes.
[Always.
He'll seal the vow with a kiss of his own, his arms tightening around her as lips press firmly against her, more snowflakes and petals bursting around them.]
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The image of it is so perfect that, as he returns the words to her, she wants to cry. She doesn't—she'll save the rest of her joyful tears for the wedding day because Shiva only knows she's going to need them, but she does steady herself with a quivering breath that spreads over his lips as he kisses her.
Back then, when they had said those words—"marry me"—they had no idea what it meant. Too caught up in the moment to care or realize, or even pause to think that maybe it would lead somewhere in the end... but back then, she didn't think it would ever take her here. From a pretend wedding that she wished, in the back of her mind, was real, to a wedding that is looming just on the horizon.
A real one.
Their real one.]
... You think we're ready?
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A soft laugh escapes him as he quietly kisses her before answering.]
...After everything we've been through? We better be.
[All the torment, the agony, the grief and pain... In truth it would not be surprising if everything ended far earlier. People can only take so much, endure so much. He himself had faltered... Had thought it better to let her go. It was foolish, of course, and she more than once proved it to him. In that regard he still has some regrets in his momentary weakness.
Yet he no longer allows it to cripple him, instead using it as a reason to push forward. So he pulls her back in for a more heated kiss, a desperate one—one that conveys that emotional weight that they've built and carry together. One that causes the stars and the snowflakes to kick up in a powerful wind, bursting higher and louder in the air.
Even after he finally releases her lips, his eyes remain heavy with that resolve and conviction, that innate desire to prove his devotion and loyalty to her.]
We'll be fine.
[For the wedding, for their future, for whatever is in front of them. So long as they stay together and hold each other up when the other one falls and pick up the pieces, he fully believes they can handle anything.
Including beating this world and find a way to truly live out their dreams together.]
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All the things that are overwhelming her right now and have been for some time.
It's true that after everything they've been through, it would almost feel silly not to be prepared for a wedding, but it's also for that very reason that she's been feeling the way she has been.]
... I'm still a little nervous.
[It's said under a breath as she nuzzles their noses together, and while it's calmed a bit for now, she knows that as soon as this little pocket in time of theirs ends, it's going to all come flooding back.]
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Don't be.
[Is it surprising or not that he isn't? That isn't to say he is completely calm, but... He is more than ready for this now. He's accepted everything and he just wants it to be done so they can continue to move forward and build on their relationship.]
...But even if you are, I'm here with you.
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But she also knows that wallowing in those thoughts isn't going to do her any good either. Like him, she wants to press on and keep moving forward with their lives together. So much has happened, but there's still so much in store for them after, too. So much that she still wants to do and accomplish with him.
It's true, and he's right—she shouldn't need to worry about anything at all. As long as he's there with her, and as long as he continues to be, then there's not a whole lot more that she can ask for.]
I know.
[She breathes out a soft laugh as she's burying her face into the crook of his neck.]
And I know you'll just snipe down whatever it is that's bothering us.
[A joke, for the most part, but the true part is that she knows that he'll do whatever it takes to protect her and their wedding day.]
But still. It's a big day. A lot's going to be happening, and I just want it to be... perfect.
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...Perhaps it's callous of me to think this way, but while I also wish for it to be perfect...at the end of the day, as long as we can say our vows and be together, then it'll be perfect for me.
That said, if there is something that's worrying you, you can tell me. You know I'll be there to help you. If not me, then any of our friends.
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I don't think it's callous at all.
[The opposite, actually.
She thinks it's sweet, especially when she thinks back on their first meetings in Camelot. How, back then, he never seemed quite as eager to spend time with her as she was him, or to get to know her as much as she wanted to know him. And now, here he is telling her that all he wants out of that day is to promise to spend the rest of his life with her...
But what's worrying Tifa?]
Our luck's not exactly been the greatest here. I know it's silly to worry about, but I can't help but think, in the back of my mind, that maybe I'm missing something. The more perfect things are, the more I start to wonder.
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I know. There's only so much we can do... And nothing will ever go perfectly as planned. There will be mishaps and unforeseen circumstances, big or small. However, we won't be alone.
[He lightly bumps his head against hers.]
We'll have the support of our friends who will also do their best to keep things go as smoothly as possible, and should anything happen they will be there to help.
We can do everything we can on our side... But we should also trust in them as well.
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I know... It's just...
[There's a brief pause where Tifa takes in a breath, and then lets it all out in a sigh.]
Maybe I just got so used to trying to do everything on my own. Easy to forget sometimes that there are others who want to help...
[At that, she lifts her face from his shoulder and looks through the veil of stars to her bar on the other side of them.]
I was by myself for a long time so I just had to make it work. Old habits die hard, as they say...
[For someone like Tifa, who never had so many friends since she was a girl, sometimes it's hard to remember and remind herself that she doesn't have to do anything alone anymore. She has Eustace especially, but more than that, a whole network of people who she knows would step up to help them and who want to make sure that the day is everything it should be. But she knows that Eustace understands and won't judge her for it, which is why it's so much easier for her to admit something like that out loud these days...]
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I know, and you know I was and still am the same way. But I'm getting better at it...
[He finally sets her down, but his arms remain around her.]
...And it helped that I did have a group I could finally trust in. Because of that, I know I can trust in our friends. They've already proven themselves once.
[As still painful as it is to remember that time, they can't discount the tremendous effort their friends pulled when he turned noctaere. They wouldn't be here without them for certain.
He gently brushes his lips against the top of her head.]
You'll get used to it over time.
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You think so...? I'm not sure I will...
[Even if she knows that she can trust their friends through thick and thin... If they pulled through those couple of months ago for them in less happy circumstances, she knows and can't even begin to imagine the lengths they would go to make sure that the "happiest day of their lives" isn't anything short of that.
But it's hard to break out of that mindset that she needs to do it all herself. Even harder when there are people that she cares about so dearly that she wants to do everything for them.
Her arms slide around him and rub up and down his back as she looks around at the stars.]
I just want everyone to be able to enjoy themselves... I want it to be memorable for them, too. Not just for us.
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If I can, then you will, too.
[Seriously, look who she's talking to. The epitome Mr. Lone Wolf himself. But she does have a different hurdle compared to him. He kept away to do everything for himself, she wants to do everything for others.]
And they will. But they won't if they see you worrying too much...they want you to enjoy yourself, too. [He gently rubs her back in turn as if to soothe her.] You just need to find a balance...
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~fin.