closed ⚡🌠 can we come back from this

[starshower]

Who: Eustace & Tifa
Which: Closed log
Where: Their treehouse, corgi tree, maybe some other places
What: After Eustace's Noctaere episode, he and Tifa try to put their relationship back together.
Warnings: Trauma, lots of sads, and then probably gross fluff after.


[It had been a struggle even getting home. After they and the others had arrived at Ori's home together, it was at Tifa's insistence that she and Eustace go back to theirs. For as grateful and appreciative as she was for all their help in saving the both of them, there are some things that Tifa would rather they be alone for, and this... whatever this is, is one of them. Never mind the guilt that she feels for having been the one to put them all through it—Eustace can argue with her all he likes, and they can all contend that they shouldn't feel that way, that none of it was her fault, but ever since she woke up from her weakened and frozen state, Tifa couldn't look any one of them in the eye.

Including Eustace.

Even as she walks with their arms slung around each other for support with Eria at their side, the journey home is silent. Only the stirrings of dawn can be heard—the birds that chirp in the canopies, the sound of dew dripping from the leaves, but nothing is quite so loud as their staggered footsteps, or her heart beating wildly in her chest, and her blood roaring in her ears.

Tifa tries to keep her anxiety to a minimum, tries to keep her thoughts straight, but all she can see are the claws of those lindworms as they came down to strike, and their scales that shimmered as they slithered around her. All she can hear are his desperate cries, and the sound of ice and electricity crackling as her vision darkened and her consciousness had begun to fade... She remembers the chill, the grips of death when it threatened to consume her, how cold his fingers were as they brushed against her face. The red in his eyes...

And then when she woke and saw the destruction he'd left behind. Saw her friends bruised and battered from battle. Saw him like that...

The thought is cut short by a sharp breath when they finally arrive at the foot of the stairs leading up to their home, her boot bumping against them when she hadn't been paying attention. The climb up is as dreadful as everything else had been, and she can feel the heat under her boots, the fires that try to claw their way out of the cage she tries to lock them in, to struggle against the trail of ice that forms in their wake. Even the tree's branches and leaves shudder as they walk through the front door, the flowers that decorate their tree that were once bright and vibrant freezing over and shriveling up, dying without a fighting chance.

It isn't until they're safely inside that Tifa so much as looks at him for the first time since they were at Ori's. Perhaps even before. Really looks at him. He's bruised and cut up, and he looks more tired than she's ever seen him.

Her hands fold together as she skirts her gaze away again, down to where she tries to stop her fingers from trembling when she bites back the urge to sob.

Tifa wants to say something, but... what is she even supposed to say? What can she say right now that would make this easier for both of them? She searches and searches her mind for an answer to the question that's been wracking her since they left the cliffside, but she's still coming up short of nothing.

Eria trots over and nudges Tifa with her nose, as if to encourage her to say something to break this tense silence before it all snaps. So, she blurts out the first thing that comes to mind in a voice so tiny that she's not even sure she's said anything at all, and it crackles, as if this is the first time she's ever spoken a word in her life. It certainly feels that way right now.]

... Do you want to get cleaned up first?

[First.

She kicks herself for it. Any other day and she would have suggested together, but her fear—not of him, but fear for them—is getting the better of her, and maybe that's for the best.]

Comments

[starshower]

[They will undoubtedly go through this a hundred times before things are finally normal, or even as close to normal as they can be. Emotions are running high, they're both on edge, so these swells of emotions are only natural, aren't they? They will come and go, but she knows that even as bleak as things can seem, they can always find a way back to each other, just like they have now, and have time and time again in the past. He saves her, she saves him—that's how it always goes for them, but if that's what it takes, then so be it.

Because if this, right here, is where those roads will always lead, then she will tread any rocky path with him until they can get here again.

When it's him who offers the kiss instead, Tifa meets it in equal measure. It's soft, tender, sweet, but salted over with her tears. It's determined in how she pulls him closer, draws him further in, like she's resolved to melt their bodies together into one so she can shoulder his troubles with him.

Pulling back, Tifa stares up at him as if her eyes were drinking him in, like her heart can never quite get enough. She can see the speckles of sunlight that have started to poke through the windows again, leaving leaf-shaped spots on his face as they try to break through the branches that shroud their home, protecting them from the clouds and the storm that's finally lifting outside it.]

Please don't... don't apologize.

[She is the last person that he needs to apologize to, and she gently presses her fingertips to his lips, brushing lightly over them.]

Just promise me you'll remember what I said. And that when... when things get hard, or you feel like you're falling again, promise you'll come to me...

[That he won't try to handle it on his own, or try to run away in search of an easier way out of these nightmares.]

[flamekthunder]

[Instinctively his mind is thinking of reasons or circumstances as to why he might not be able to keep that promise, reasons to keep her shielded from whatever dark, unpleasant situation that would make him want to hide it from her. But then he pushes it to the side. She's already seen the worst of him, the lowest point he could possibly go. Why should he run away from when it only makes things worse.

So with a firm resolve he kisses her again, a hand behind her head as he cradles her as if she is the most delicate, treasured being in the world.]

I promise. But you have to do the same.

[He knows she is feeling guilt for what happened, knows that she is exactly like him and would try to handle something on her own, not wanting him to be hurt.]

Don't hide away from me...you can't be the only one who takes our burdens.

[He pulls back to look at her clearly, that familiar strength and resolve returning to his eyes.]

...You will be my wife. We'll hold each other and figure it all out—together.

[starshower]

[He always knows how to read her so easily. Knows what she's thinking and feeling, and even if she's relieved that they've come through this together, there are still those pangs of guilt and shame squeezing at her soul that he knows too well that she will try to shoulder on her own.

She will, for now, until he's in a better place, but there's a new look in her eyes as she nods for him. A silent promise that she'll stop running too. She'll stop hiding away from everyone like she always does and will share those burdens with him the same way she wishes for him to do with her.

...

If she's to be his wife, then that's how it should be.

And Tifa's lips tremble at his vow. After what she'd heard at Ori's house, even if they had almost immediately reversed his call to end the wedding, hearing Eustace say those words again—calling her his wife—makes her heart swell.]

...My mate... I promise.

[She echoes the sentiment quietly, in a whisper like she's afraid the world will hear this secret, and before either of them can say another word, she's pulling him in for another kiss, and her lips will tell him everything she doesn't need to say...]

[flamekthunder]

[Likewise, hearing her call herself his mate makes his heart tremble, a different flow of emotions drowning out the lingering doubts and negativity that continue to sink their claws into him. They won't be completely washed away, but at least for now they will have receded to the point where he can focus on what they have, focus on that potential, that wish, that hope—that future that's still within their grasp.

So he meets her eagerly, matching her actions and expressed feelings with his own. The only thing that disrupts them is the hard thwack against his leg as he feels Eria's tail smack against it, and he frowns, not wanting to part from the kiss but forced to remember what the two animals were doing. Unwittingly he begins to pull away, but when he looks down at the wolf, she only stares back up at him before huffing and walking away.

...?

Is she not...going to force them apart?

.......

The urge to lift up Tifa and take them back to their room is strong. He's already shifting his arms, pulling her closer to him in that familiar gesture, even starting to walk back a little to pull her with him. As usual, the moment they start sharing their warmth and desire each other's closeness, the more difficult it is to resist that want to be intimate. To once again reaffirm and express their love. But even if Eria is only just sitting there staring at them, Eustace bites his lip and lets out a small breath.

...Restraint... Right.

....

Dammit he really wants to just—]

...Is there...anything else you want to talk about?

[Said in a voice that really implies they don't have to—especially with how his lips brush over hers as he speaks, fingertips circling around her lower back...and his eyes staring into hers with that spark of heat barely contained.]

[starshower]

[It's what Tifa expects him to do, and she can feel him moving in that familiar way that she prepares to brace herself with her arms around his neck so that he can carry her off, whisk her away back into that blissful place. Even if it's just for a brief respite, just a moment away from all of this... She wants it. She'll take it.

So, she laments quietly to herself when his lips leave hers, taking her breath with him, but she can hear the wolf beside her, and she can feel Eria's tail sweep against her leg as she wanders away to search for Clover in the kitchen. Any other day, Tifa would laugh it off and drag him back to their bedroom herself and throw the door shut behind them, but today...

His question has her eyes moving up to meet his, and she feels her knees buckle under the intensity of his stare, and that heat reflecting in those blue pools of his to match her own, reigniting that spark inside her until it's burning hot.

There is so much more that they need to talk about, none of it anything she necessarily wants to... but Tifa can feel her heart racing in her chest, her fingers splaying across his back so that she can draw him nearer, and her lips parting for his as he brushes them over one another...]

...

Later...

[Her arms circle around his neck the same way they always do when she knows that he's about to carry her off, signaling to him that it's what she wants.]

Right now, I just... I can't...

[She just needs a moment to breathe...]

[flamekthunder]

[A small part of him wonders if he should really let them do this... But with how their hearts race in unison, that desire to soothe their wounded hearts in the way they know best, to give them just that little bit of respite, he gives in. Just for a little while. Just long enough so that they can be in a better place to tackle the next difficult conversation. So he swallows her lips, his arms lifting her up so that her legs can wrap around his waist as he then carries her back to their room.

Eria makes no move to the stop them. In this case...she'll let it slide. Instead she looks at the damage done to the living room, the burn marks made by both the ice and the flames. Although some of it is already healing, she just sighs and pads over to where Clover has hidden away. With a reassuring nudge of her nose and affectionate lick, she picks up the kitten and makes her way to the door that opens on its own to let them out. Outside the wolf glances back to see how the damage had started to seep outside, the shadows on the far side of the tree longer, some of the branches blackened.

Yet the skies above are clearing, the storm finally passing. Even now flowers are already beginning to bloom, the wind picking up in a warmer, refreshing breeze that causes the battered branches to sway. And as she watches sudden bursts of flowers appear near where the bedroom is......she turns her head and sets Clover down so that the kitten walk on her own. ...Where to go...should she give them an hour... Two? SIGH damn sex addicts—


Who knows how long time has passed, but it's nearing late afternoon when Eustace realizes he had fallen asleep. It was only a brief nap, but when he opens his eyes and sees Tifa in his arms, he smiles. He can't really remember what he dreamed, if anything at all, but...waking up to this is better than a dream. Gently his fingertips circle around her back and arms, his lips brushing over the top of her head. There is still much to deal with, but...right now he can let himself feel a little more content. Let this to continue to be a reminder of what he's trying to protect and fight for. Reminder of why he can't give in...]

[starshower]

[She wonders, too. She continues to wonder if this is right, but all those doubts are swept away as he lays her down in their bed, swept away by the soft brush of his fingertips and his lips over hers as they silently reaffirm their promises to one another in the truest, purest way they know how.

It could be that this is the comfort that Tifa needed to finally get that rest. With so many things out in the open between them now, leaving still so much left they need to talk about, she feels exhausted. Tired, both emotionally and physically, and so it's no wonder that, after spending those hours alone with him again, she finally gives in to the blanket of sleepy warmth that drapes over her.

It's short but deep, and she doesn't know if she's dreamt or not through it all before she's stirring gently, feeling his lazy touch on her back, and the press of a kiss to her forehead. Or maybe she's dreaming that, too. Maybe she's imagining the way that cool, late afternoon breeze brushes through the window, and how the sunlight on her skin helps to ease the goosebumps that rise in its wake. Maybe she's dreaming of him holding her, the way his familiar, masculine scent fills her head as she steadily breathes him in...

Tifa mumbles something incoherent before she's slowly blinking open her eyes to check...]

[flamekthunder]

[His smile only deepens as he watches her stir awake, that quiet mumble making him feel a tender warmth as he impulsively brushes his lips over the tops of her eyes before...

...

His lips find hers for a sweet, tender kiss.]

[starshower]

Mm?

[The kiss surprises her, simply because she hadn't properly woken yet to understand what was going on, but it's only seconds before Tifa is stirred further out of the cloudiness of sleep, the kiss gently tugging her back into the waking world where he's waiting for her.]

Eustace...

[It's purred the second his lips leave hers, and there's the very subtle happy surprise in her voice to find him there, like she wasn't expecting it. How far had she fallen into the sleep? How long was she asleep for? The sunlight in the room as she tries to blink the drowsiness from her eyes tells her it might be late afternoon, but she'd lost track of time long before they even thought about returning here.]

How long...? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep...

[flamekthunder]

[A soft, light chuckle as he brushes his lips over her eyes again.]

Not long...I fell asleep, too.

[starshower]

[She lets her eyes fall shut now that she knows he's there, and that this is all real, and she savours the feeling of his lips over them while the rest of her body curls up closer to his, like she's trying to wrap herself around him.]

Did you... [Have any nightmares? That doesn't feel like the right question to ask.] Was it a good sleep?

[That's when Tifa opens her eyes to look at him, and although they're still a bit cloudy, they're filled with both affection and worry that she had slept through another bad dream...]

[flamekthunder]

Mm.

[Knowing what she's worried about he drops another soft kiss on her lips.]

...I'm not sure if I dreamed or not, but it wasn't anything bad, I can say that much.

[Now it's his turn to look at her with some concern.]

...And you?

[She had looked so sweet and peaceful that he can only hope she didn't have any nightmares of her own.]

[starshower]

[She smiles lazily, relieved.]

I don't know... I don't think I did either. It was just...

[Her words pause so that she can slowly brush her fingers through his hair.]

Quiet. Almost too peaceful.

[Given everything that's happened, it does feel a bit odd thinking about it now, but she isn't going to question it. She'll simply thank the universe for giving them both this small little break before they tumble back into the chaos...]

[flamekthunder]

That's how it felt for me...

[A small sigh as he nuzzles her.]

Peaceful.

[starshower]

[She buries herself in him, her body curling up as much as it can against his until her face is pressed right into the crook of his neck where she hums quietly.]

I'm glad... Had me worried for a sec...

[But from the sounds of it, they both needed something like this. Even if it won't last forever, it's enough, and it helps to push back some of that guilt she feels about feeling like maybe... she had pushed him, but Tifa remembers his words, his reassurance that she could never. It was what he wanted, wasn't it?

...

There's a small shake of her head.]

[flamekthunder]

[Although it feels so sweet and comfortable, he senses something is amiss, especially when she shakes her head that feels different than just her trying to adjust or cuddle against him. He doesn't know what she's really thinking of, and can only assume she's just worried about all the other things that's happened. And in fairness, there's quite a bit worth worrying over.

...Should he ask, or... It's just so nice right now that he doesn't want to ruin it...

...But that's also been their problem.

After a few beats, the hand that had been gently stroking her arm moves to her hair, playing with it a little.]

...Something on your mind?

[He won't push her too far, not this time. But...a small opening should she choose to take it.]

[starshower]

Hm...?

[Tifa turns so that her head is resting on his shoulder instead, her face no longer hidden in his neck so that she can look at him. There's been a lot on her mind, and her expression says as much, with the way her lips tighten ever so slightly despite the tiredness that's there.

She's about to shake her head again, to deny that there's nothing wrong, but she remembers the look that Eria gave them both, and as she looks at him, she thinks that maybe he deserves better than that, too. She promised that she would stop hiding from him, didn't she? And Tifa intends to keep that promise. Cherish it.]

I just... [Her hand continues to brush through his hair, and a sad smile crosses over her features.] This is what you wanted too, right?

[flamekthunder]

[He gives her a reproachful look.]

Was I not convincing enough?

[Especially after doing this and that and ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚

But he knows what she's really asking, which is why he doesn't tease or make good on that subtle threat.]

I did want it...needed it. Needed you. [He pulls her so that she's on top of him, arms wrapped fully around her waist.] And the moment was right.

[It may have been highly emotionally driven, but they were not just desperate ones for need of an escape. He just...really wanted to be with her, to love her—to be reminded of what they have. For better or worse, this is the form it takes.]

Besides... I'm not letting you get away from it now.

[starshower]

[She lets herself be guided, her whole body still too sleepy to do much else but allow it, so when he pulls her on top, he'll feel her weight immediately sink over him with her head on his chest. She listens to him breathe for a while, listens to the roar of his heartbeat, knowing that it's beating for them. For this, with all the sincerity in the world, and she feels silly for doubting it again.]

I don't want to...

[She peppers his collarbone with light kisses, frustrated by the bandages that block her way.

But it's more than that; those claws dig deeper than this, and they both know it. It isn't just about the guilt she might feel when they spend time like this and wonders if they should approach it differently.

Her lips slow, and he'll feel her sharp breath on his skin as she sighs, and she props her chin up on his chest to look at him.

...

....]

Do you think everyone else is okay?

[There it is.]

[flamekthunder]

[His eyes meet hers, and there is a flicker of guilt of his own before he finally answers.]

...Everyone will need time to heal, but they are all strong willed in their own ways.

[It's...difficult for him to answer. He can't just say they will all be all right in some optimistic way—he's too much of a realist. And he did a lot of damage... Mentally, physically. Some worse than others.]

[starshower]

[She sees that guilt, recognizes it as mirroring her own, and she reaches out to press a warm hand to his face, hoping to silently remind him that she is there with him in this, and she uses that time, that tender moment to collect and sort through her own thoughts.

Tifa knows that they'll all come out of this—every single one of them, but it will take time. Just like the two of them. Though they may be lying here like this, seeking comfort and closeness in one another, there are many wounds that won't heal right away. They can patch them up, ignore them for now in favour of making room for better things, but that won't make them disappear.

They'll all have to face it eventually.

Including her...]

I can't help but feel... [She starts quietly, only half realizing that she does. But at least with him here wrapped around her, she feels that little bit of encouragement and support she needs to keep going.] ... I feel like calling for help put them all in danger.

[flamekthunder]

[His eyes close briefly at her touch leaning into the reassuring warmth. That reminder they are here together, supporting each other, comforting each other. She's done so much got him... Will he be able to do the same for her? It's time to be tested as he looks at her with worried eyes.]

Tifa... Do you really think that? [And with the way she says it, that guilt clear in her eyes... Dammit.

It's his turn to cup her cheek, thumb gently stroking soft skin.]

If you hadn't managed to call for help, we wouldn't be here now. You did the right thing.

[starshower]

[She doesn't even need to answer, because he'll see it there before she closes her eyes into his touch, using it to ground herself, center herself, and remind herself that they are in this together. That he'll support her through this just like she wants to do for him...

And she'll quietly, gently echo his words back.]

... Do you really think that?

[That if she hadn't called out for help... that they wouldn't be back here together.]

Maybe I could have done something when I woke up? I don't know...

[She's desperate to at least know she could have done it on her own if she needed to. That she wouldn't have had to rely on others...]

[flamekthunder]

[His frown deepens and he sits up slightly.]

Tifa.

Why do you always want to do things on your own?

[starshower]

[Tifa doesn't shrink back from him, but there is that hesitant look in her eyes. Her arms find his shoulders so that she can wrap them around him, making sure to maintain that closeness and the touch regardless of how she might be feeling under that frown of his.

It's true that she tries to do too much on her own... Tifa knows that and still, she does it anyway. She never wants to be a burden on anyone else, or make herself feel like she's someone else's responsibility, or that she can't take care of herself or the people that she loves... And she felt an awful combination of all of those things when they showed up.]

... You saw what happened.