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

[She'll feel the quiet, low rumble of his laugh from his chest as an arm goes around her.]

You'll see.

[And then he looks around and the starflowers dim lower and lower until they barely glow, darkness starting to settle around them. And then...]

...Okay, you can open your eyes.

[And when she does, he'll let her look around first before gesturing to look up, and up in the night sky she'll see the recreation of the northern lights, ripples of color dancing over them, like a curtain that hangs down almost low enough to reach.]

[From where she's buried her face, she can't see anything—not even the dimming in the light is obvious to her until he tells her to open her eyes. She hesitates a moment, bouncing a little on her feet, before she lifts her head first, eyes still shut.]

You're sure?

[But she doesn't even wait for him to answer before she lets them flutter open slowly, and she has to readjust to the change, confused at first, before she finally looks up to see it.

And when she does, a gasp leaves parted, astounded lips.

He's shown her the lights before. She remembers the show he had put on at the wedding to end the night, and how they had flown off in the balloon through them, so close that she could reach out and touch them then, too. But now, she stands among them, right beneath, and they are even closer than they had been. She lifts a hand, touches, and the lights swirl gently before slowly stopping, and her eyes go even wider as she stares up at them for just a little bit longer.

Them, the starflowers, and the stars...

...

Before she turns her gaze to him, the beginnings of tears shining in her eyes as memories of their wedding night come flooding back.]

This is better than any surprise I could have imagined.

[He watches her, his eyes softening with every moment as her eyes takes it all in, knowing she's remembering the wedding night. He also thinks the same... But what he'll always remember most is that night when they were in this very tree and perhaps his dreamotion had created the lights. That night when they had those shared dreams, their emotions so overwhelming that they ended up losing themselves in each other for the first time. That was a big turning point for him.

But now, there is no confusion. No question of what is right or what they want. Now, it's very clear, and he just smiles softly.]

I'm glad.

[She is caught between wanting to stare at the lights and at him, and while subtle, her eyes flit all across his face, searching, as if she is trying to absorb as much of this moment as possible before it ends... because she is. This delicate, precious memory that she can store away with all the others, locked up so that it's kept safe, away from time, away from distance, away from anything that might weather it so that it stays clear.

Pristine.

Just the way it should be.

Before finally, they land on his lips, and Tifa immediately rises on her tiptoes, stretching out and hoping that he will meet her halfway for that kiss she so clearly seeks. That star-shattering one that she has been waiting for since the day begun. The one she knew would come, but not when because the moment would matter.

And this feels right.]

[It doesn't take much at all. The moment her eyes finally land on him, he instinctively knows, and will indeed move in to meet her. As his lips takes hers, his arms will wrap strongly around her, pulling her closer as he gives her that deep kiss of longing and love, of a joy that can only be felt between them. It's deep, and even if they have to part for just a breath, he immediately closes it again. And again. And again.

Until she's rendered utterly breathless.]

[And she is... but she doesn't mind, nor does it stop her from pursuing more from him. More, more, more, a greed taking over as she chases him, pulls him to her with that same shyness that she always does. Those pauses before she presses her lips to his again, caring little for the air that they need.

Every time she opens her eyes, the lights shimmer a little more, glow a little brighter, and the starflowers have begun to shift in colour, from a beautiful, pure white to slightly pink tips.

How long they remain that way, she doesn't know, but she could stand here and kiss him forever... until he'd stolen her very last breath...

But eventually, she remembers that she had one last thing for him.

...]

Your turn...

[He wouldn't mind staying out here with her, either. This beautiful moment filled with their enduring love.]

...Mm.

[A low hum against her lips before he lightly tugs and sucks on the lower one, a wry smile forming.]

...Your own surprise, was it?

[And then his lips move to her jaw to her neck.]

Here or inside?

[...

She stops to consider it a moment. She had planned for it inside, but...

With all the lights and the snow and the flowers, she doesn't want to leave this place just yet. So, with a small, quick glance around to make sure that they will have some room—not that they will need much of it—she chews on her lip with a smile.]

Here sounds nice.

[But her voice rises like an unasked question, wondering if he wants the same thing.]

Then you better hurry up.

[A low voice against her skin, punctuated by the sharp nip at her neck.]

[She inhales, sharp, with a gasp when she feels his teeth at her neck, and she lets her head fall back, weak to him. How does he expect her to do anything like this?]

... I might need a little bit of help.

[The zipper and all. Not to mention, she's not so inclined to remove her arms from around him just yet.]

[A low hum as he gets the hint, his hand running up the length of her spin before he grabs that zipper and slowly, very slowly pulls it down the full length.]

[The way that he tugs that zipper is so agonizingly slow that she whines gently into his hair, the warmth of his hands so close yet not close enough.

But as soon as it's undone, she starts to slide away her dress, taking a step back to free herself from him to give him a better view of her. A better view of her pale, flushed skin and cheeks as she slips the sleeves away first, and then down, down... the lights casting a shadow over her that only highlights her curves and her muscles underneath the black lace that she wears underneath. With the blue accents to match her dress, the thin lace shimmers as she moves, hugging every inch of her that they touch, as she lets her dress drop to the floor, the hairs that had fallen loose cascading over her shoulders as she watches it go.

She still has her stockings on, and she fingers at the hem of them against one thigh, looking at him in silent question of whether she should leave them on, or if he'd rather them off.]

[While he would have rather she stay by him, knowing where this will lead he allows her to step back so he can watch.

And watch he does, his eyes not so subtly following the descent of her dress and taking in every inch that is revealed. He always did like her in that lace—just as much as he enjoyed working (or tearing) it off her. But for now he just takes in the sight, both at the alluring sight, but also just...

Her natural beauty, those soft lights helping to accentuate every curve, dip, and muscle. He knows every single inch of her, yet it almost feel practically new like this.

And when her hand stops at those stockings, there's a moment before he reaches out to take her hand, stopping her as he pulls her a step closer to him.]

Leave it on.

[She feels so warm under his gaze, even when she doesn't look at him, she knows that he is watching her. All of this... it's still something she's not quite used to, but she tries. She wants to do it... for him. But there is that tickle of satisfaction in her chest when she can see the way his eyes rove over her body, knowing that beneath it, there's a roaring fire that only she could kindle and tame.

It's thrilling, and she is embarrassed to say so, even silently to herself, but it only encourages her further. Far enough that she gives the lace a little tug so that it snaps gently back against her thigh before he's closing in on her again.

But her arms might stop him from moving all the way back, because she combs her hair over her shoulder to loosen it from the tie that keeps it together. Keeps it neat. She loosens the ribbon, letting that fall to the ground too, and runs her fingers through her long, dark hair, dishevelling it just a touch.]

...This one is new...

[...Hoh. There's a low hum as his eyes flick up to hers, a light smirk playing at his lips.]

So I should be...gentler with it, hm?

[His hand at hers now runs up the length of her arm to then brush and finger over the lace first at her shoulder before slowly sliding down her chest.]

Edited 2023-12-17 06:16 (UTC)

[She watches him through her lashes, her gaze momentarily moving down to see his finger running over the lace before she meets his eyes again, her chest rising in a slow, steadying inhale.]

Yes, please...

[Her voice is quiet, breathless to mask the light tremble within it, the anticipation already too much for her.]

[He continues to trace over the lace over her chest towards her cleavage where a pretty blue ribbon rests. A ribbon that he hooks his finger over—]

Such a nice surprise... Almost a shame how fast I'll be unwrapping it.

[—and roughly tugs loose before he now slowly moves down the center towards her abdomen.]

Or maybe I'll take my time.

[When he gives that ribbon a tug, the front falls loose, and while it doesn't come completely undone that it will fall right off, it does offer him a nice enough view, with Tifa biting down on her lip, a smile threatening to overcome her as she watches him.]

It's still early... I think you should take your time.

[She wants him to explore... to memorize the feel of the lace on her curves against her skin. To remember every little detail, every little thread of it—of tonight, just like she intends to. And she can't very well do that if they rush through everything, can she?

And so, they will take their time unraveling one another under the glow of the stars, flowers, and the lights on this secret little landing. Another secret place where this memory will only be shared between the two of them and no one else. And though the cold winter air falls in over them, it never quite reaches them, shielded by the heat of their love and passion as they reaffirm every vow, every I love you, every look, every touch again. Not that they need a special night to do that, but how often do they get this chance? How often does the magic and the quiet bless them with the opportunity to do so?

Every day for the past year, they've been blessed with the ability to show one another, but tonight, Tifa intends to take full advantage of it to really be sure that he knows just how much she cares for him. How much she wants to be with him, at his side, until her last breath? Sure, her own self is someplace else, but this self... this version of her belongs to him.

It begins gentle, careful, slow, every single movement so deliberate and calculated, as if they both want to ensure that before the night is done, they will have touched every inch of each other in some way. And of course, as is typical with them, they do, and what started gentle turns into throes of wild passion, the flowers no longer their pure white but red and bright and so very vibrant, the heat melting away all of the snow around the tree until it's bursting with colour, the branches glowing with flowers, the lights having spread upward to paint the sky as Tifa's voice fills it with cries of his name.

And when they are all but spent hours and hours late into the night, lying on the floor together, wrapped up completely in each other, she presses another lazy, slow kiss to his lips, her eyes only half open from the sleepiness that threatens to take her, and she smiles.]

... Happy anniversary, Eustace.

closed 🌠 safe and sound, alive under the stars

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⚡🎀🌠 fin.