songerein | closed 🌠 safe and sound, alive under the stars

Hm... Yeah, we can do that.

[The idea is starting to form in his mind more, and he smiles at Tifa.

But as he leans in...]

First... Wait right here.

[He just boops his nose with hers before he grins mischievously and goes into the door.

Without her.

Leaving her outside.]

Huh?

[Her eyes go a little wide when he brings his nose in to touch hers, and there's a tingle of warmth that tickles her and spreads through into her cheeks, and she brings a hand up to it as if she's just been blessed with magic. And maybe she has.

She does as she's told though, and she might peek curiously around the door to see what he's up to, but the house is so dark that she can barely make anything out inside. And whenever he comes back, she'll move again, pretending as if she hadn't been looking at all as she bounces on the balls of her feet eagerly, a new warmth settling in all around her and melting the snow.]

[Even if he tried to hide it, he knows what she was doing, able to see her shadow from within the dimly lit treehouse. And fortunately he won't take long, coming back with—]

Here.

[Two pairs of ice skates.]

It's been a while since we've done this.

[Of course...there's no lake or pond nearby, nor any visible surface to skate on.]

[When he returns, she is overtaken with surprise when he carries out the pair of skates, and her eyes immediately snap up to him, shimmering with pure, unbridled excitement.]

Really!?

[She reaches out to take one pair of skates with her, a coy look.]

But there's no ice...

[She already has a suspicion he knows exactly how to fix that.]

[A light chuckle as she would be correct.]

Easy enough to fix.

[And with a slight gesture of his hand, cold air rushes out from his palm to wash over the ground before them. And in a matter of moments, the once snow covered ground has solidified into thick ice.]

[That's exactly what she imagined and had in mind, so there's no surprise in her expression, but there is a look of wonder as she watches everything turn to ice, the snow transforming into a perfect surface for them to skate on.]

I had a feeling.

[And she'll lean up to press a kiss to his lips, soft and tender and filled with gratitude.]

... How long's it been since we have?

[He smiles down at her with equal warmth and softness before he answers.]

Mm... Did we do it last year any?

[She takes the skates and sits down on the steps of the house, brushing aside some of the snow first before she's working to slip her shoes off, her lips pouting in thought.]

... Well, there was that one dream we were in. We were both kids in that one, though.

...I'm not sure that really counts.

[He'll think for a moment before he leans against the tree and takes off his boots to switch them out with his own pair of skates.]

Have we really not tried ice skating since...that time at the lake?

Mm...

[Thinking back, further and further and further...

...

Tifa's brows furrow.]

I don't think so.

[And that wasn't exactly the greatest memory between them, even if it was a long time ago, and she wonders if that's why they haven't tried it since then.]

I guess... a chance just never came up again until now.

...Mm.

[He's having similar thoughts as he stamps down on the snow with his blades, now both on his feet.]

But now we do, so we should make the most of it.

[She's busy lacing up her own, one and then the other, but rather than push herself up, she stretches her arms and her hands out for him.]

I plan to.

[She does wonder if he'd thought back to the same day... it was so long ago that she'd nearly forgotten about it, and for a good reason too, probably. It wasn't a memory that Tifa wanted to carry with her ever, anywhere and she has a feeling that Eustace is the same.

Better that they make a new memory to outlast the old. Though, she will tease—]

Let's hope we don't get one of those slugs coming after us this time.

[A small laugh as he takes her hands and pulls her up—and close, where she will be pressed up against him.]

Even if they did, they would full enough within minutes.

[He then sneaks in a kiss, lips lightly pressing against hers as he tugs her a little closer. Is it because he was momentarily unsettled by that memory? Perhaps. But as harrowing as it was...it is a time that made him realize how important Tifa had become to him.]

[And it's a good thing that they won't dwell on it for long. There is nothing to dwell on, if she's perfectly honest—scary as it had been, and as much as she hates frozen lakes these days still, she is of the same mind. It had been a turning point for them, something that maybe they needed for the realization to sink in that they meant more to each other than what they were letting on or willing to admit.

Now they're here, and ready to make a new, better memory.

So, when he tugs her close, she accepts the kiss, her arms wrapping around him in return both to keep him near and for balance. She'll need to get used to these skates again, especially in the snow...]

Let them come, then. Maybe they'd stop terrorizing the town if they did.

[She nuzzles her nose against his, relishing in that warmth that he gives off.]

Come on. Might take me a minute or two to get used to being in these again...

Just hold onto me.

[A light smile before he takes one last kiss and then makes his way to the ice, his steps sure as he stands on the ice while holding her hand to give her support.]

Well, that won't be a problem.

[She's a bit sheepish as she shuffles along towards the ice, sliding her skates along the snow with her hand in his. You'd think that someone with impeccable balance would be used to this sort of thing, but walking and skating on a pair of blades is a bit different from wearing shoes... Doesn't mean she's not a little embarrassed when she trips a little on their way.

But as soon as they get on the ice, she's a bit more comfortable, but no. She's not letting go.]

Do you remember how?

[A laugh....

And he's going to let go of her hands despite what he just said and start skating around her. With his hands behind his back.

Backwards.]

[Of course he does. What kind of question was that!?

And with something of a shy grin, she just watches him, only shuffling forward a little bit in his direction when he passes in front of her to try and catch him.]

Now you're just showing off. Come here.

No, maybe this is better.

[A laugh as he does stop in front of her, but just out of arm's reach.]

See if you can remember and skate to me.

[Why does he always do this... Why is it always just out of her reach—

Tifa pushes off on the ice, and while she is a bit wobbly and unpracticed still, she flies at him and just before she's about to reach him.]

Whoops—!

[She pretends to trip forward, her arms extending out and expecting that he'll catch her. And he better!!!]

[Oh he was definitely already moving backwards to avoid her, but wow.

Wow.

Sneaky little—]

Careful.

[Yes, he'll catch his wife because fake or not, he doesn't want her to fall. However, he is swerving around behind her so that he can grab her by her shoulders to keep her upright.]

Dang it.

[She mutters it under her breath in defeat when he moves around so that he's behind her instead to straighten her, and surely he can feel her pout in every muscle in her body when he takes her by her shoulders.

You sneaky—]

What's this? I thought I was supposed to be skating towards you, not away from you.

[She's going to use this opportunity to push away from him, skating in a straight line until she comes to a stop several feet away from him. Awkwardly, she starts to turn, not quite used to doing so just yet.]

Decided to change it up a bit.

[And he'll come to a stop once again a few feet away from her, hands out as if to beckon her to him.]

Uh huh...

[Tifa looks at his hands urging her forward, then up at him, her lips pulling upward from the pout into a smile.]

Well, so did I.

[And she's just going to start sliding backwards. Inching away from him slowly. She probably looks absolutely ridiculous doing it, but she gets the hang of it fairly quickly.]

[She does look ridiculous, but also cute, and he just laughs as he slowly slides forward after her.]

Don't blame me if you fall backwards into the snow.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject