[Well, when he calls her out so directly like that, it's no wonder she winds up choking even further on her own voice. Whatever he did, it had left Tifa feeling... different in its aftermath, and the little strength she still has left is going into trying to process it. The why's and how's, and more importantly, the what now's... They've given themselves plenty to think about, but she's still so lost in the moment—in the spell she's accidentally entangled herself in, and with the way he scoops her towards him, tucking her against his side, it makes it harder to pull herself out of it.
The question remains of whether she wants to, because the moment she does, Tifa knows that they'll have to talk about this. She's afraid of what she'll feel when she comes down from that high, and what he might say, or where it might lead after. If this is what makes or breaks their friendship, then she'll have plenty to regret, but... she doesn't find herself feeling those annoying pangs of it yet. Guilt over taking advantage of the situation to do something uncharacteristically selfish, to use him to run away from all of the heartache, even if it was for just a little while?
Those are things she'd rather not think about as she lays here, still enveloped in his warmth. The silence persists, weighing heavier on them with each second she gives herself to piece together something... Even if she might come to lament over this later, right now, her body refuses to let it go.
Once she's caught her breath, she lets out a small exhale over his skin, and this is the first time she's noticed the twinkling lights over their heads—the same ones as the little stars that lit up the air around the tree when they had watched the snow fall. Through it all, she can at least smile up at that, understanding where they'd come from now, and her voice is quiet, but pointed when she finally sighs.]
... You did something.
[Still a little speechless. That, and she still doesn't know the right thing to say given the situation.
Another pause before Tifa is lifting her head just far enough to look up at him.]
How are you feeling?
[It seemed the most appropriate thing to ask after all...that.]
no subject
The question remains of whether she wants to, because the moment she does, Tifa knows that they'll have to talk about this. She's afraid of what she'll feel when she comes down from that high, and what he might say, or where it might lead after. If this is what makes or breaks their friendship, then she'll have plenty to regret, but... she doesn't find herself feeling those annoying pangs of it yet. Guilt over taking advantage of the situation to do something uncharacteristically selfish, to use him to run away from all of the heartache, even if it was for just a little while?
Those are things she'd rather not think about as she lays here, still enveloped in his warmth. The silence persists, weighing heavier on them with each second she gives herself to piece together something... Even if she might come to lament over this later, right now, her body refuses to let it go.
Once she's caught her breath, she lets out a small exhale over his skin, and this is the first time she's noticed the twinkling lights over their heads—the same ones as the little stars that lit up the air around the tree when they had watched the snow fall. Through it all, she can at least smile up at that, understanding where they'd come from now, and her voice is quiet, but pointed when she finally sighs.]
... You did something.
[Still a little speechless. That, and she still doesn't know the right thing to say given the situation.
Another pause before Tifa is lifting her head just far enough to look up at him.]
How are you feeling?
[It seemed the most appropriate thing to ask after all...that.]