He doesn't see why that's mutually exclusive with her resting, and is about to say as much when she offers to get food for him.
"Yes, for two," he says, catching the hand in his hair and tugging it down, just enough to turn and kiss her palm. "I'm going to use the restroom, and then you can fret over me as much as you like, and I even promise to listen." He gives her a tired smile. "It's been a long time since anyone tended me."
It's not as hard to get up as he expected; she really is a gifted healer. And when he returns, something in his chest catches at seeing her sitting on his bed, like he can't quite believe that any of this is real.
While he's gone she rushes to the door of his quarters, waving down the first crew member she sees to fetch food and tea for the captain before returning to his room to wait.
The woman she ran into looked stunned by her appearance, enough to make Aerith realize Balthier wasn't kidding about how awful she looked. By the time he returns, she's pinned her hair up in a large coiled bun, the sound of his privy door making her look up quickly.
"Are you alright? Come lay down." Aerith shifts on the edge of his bed, reaching up to fluff his pillows before she frowns at him expectantly.
"The galley has been waiting to hear from me, they'll send up food very soon."
It's...jarring, seeing her so worried and doting. Some part of him is touched, but a larger part of him is concerned. She hasn't been tended to after her ordeal, and she's shutting out support.
So when he walks back to her, he just wraps his arms around her -- even through the discomfort of his wounds -- and holds her tight, nestling his nose in her hair.
"I'm alright," he promises, low and gentle. "The magic is taking. But I'll sleep better knowing you're taken care of too, hmm?"
She wants to chide him, and remind him that he shouldn't be moving around like this with his injuries, but his arms come up around her and takes the argument right out of.
With a sigh Aerith leans into the embrace, closing her eyes tightly while he hugs her, one hand resting on his uninjured side.
"They're bringing food for me too. I'll eat with you." She still feels too rattled to be sincerely hungry, but when a sharp series of on knocks at his door begins, the first pangs of needing to eat finally set in.
After stealing a glance up at his face she tries another smile before going to the door to retrieve the massive tray of food the galley send up, complete with two pots of strong tea.
"See? There's no way you can eat this all." Aerith continues as she turns back, heading to a table by his bedside to set it all down.
He's happy when she doesn't protest and instead just lets him hold her. She probably needs to be held a good deal longer, what with all she's been through.
When she moves to go to the door, he squeezes her to him once more before he lets her go. And while she does that, he moves another chair over with his good arm, smiling at her teasing. "Alas, you've found me out, and it would be a shame to waste it." But he catches her arm after she sets the tray down, squeezing it once more. "Thank you." For eating. For taking care of him. For trusting him.
And he's tired, as he settles back into the chair, but his heart is so much lighter than it's been in days.
Turning to him when his hand rests on her arm, Aerith smiles warmly and shakes her head.
"Thank you for saving my life." In so many ways. Being kidnapped and thrown off course from a likely bland, loveless marriage had changed everything for the better. She still feels unsure about where they actually stand. The kisses they exchanged the night before had happened while they were both so keyed up and emotional that it was hard for her to tell if they same would be welcome now.
That doesn't stop her from bending low enough to kiss his forehead before she turns away to pour them both cups of tea and take the covers off the dishes.
"Do you think you feel well enough for something more than soup?" She passes his tea to him before stepping out of the way so he can survey what the galley sent up. Without thinking she reaches for a leg of duck, halfway finished before she realizes.
There's so much he wants to say, but his mind is still slow and he gets caught up in just looking at her, so unbelievably happy she's home and safe. When she steps forward to kiss him, he reacts a beat too late to wrap his arms around her again. He doesn't know where they stand either, but his feelings about her are clearer than they've ever been.
"Healer's know best, right?" he muses, taking the tea from her to sip. It feels good on his stomach, and he's glad she's eating too. "Give me a spread, I'll see what I can manage. And take anything you like for yourself. I know Piaget doesn't feed prisoners well." It hurts to say it, hurts to think about how miserable she must have been, and he hates that she isn't taking care of herself now. "And you're using a lot of magic."
The process of building him a plate of food is slowed by the frequent stops Aerith makes to nibble on things herself, not needing to be told she was free to take what she liked. She hands him the array she's arranged on his plate in between helping herself to about half a meal.
The food helps, but even though she's got a fuller belly than moments before, the urge to wrap her arms around him and keep him close isn't far from her thoughts. For now, she's content to watch him eat, feeding herself in between big sips of tea.
"I'm still going to heal your shoulder soon," she replies when he mentions her using magic, before eating a few more olives. "You fell asleep before I could bandage it."
Aerith dusts her fingers off with a decisive nod. "Then we can both rest, okay?" He asked her to lay down with him before, but she wasn't going to hold him to it unless he brought it up again.
Something in him eases watching her eat, and he lets himself just breathe, eyes resting on her like if he looks away she'll be spirited away.
She hands him a plate and he lifts his teacup to her in cheers, but for a few minutes they just enjoy companionable silence as they both pick at necessary sustenance.
"I'll allow it," he says, smiling weakly. They both know he's not going to be able to keep her from healing him if she insists. "But -- only if you lay down with me this time." His hand drifts to her knee, concern on his face. Maybe it's too bold, but he doesn't think she's going to agree to going to her own chambers, and she needs sleep too. "Or at the very least go take a bath once I've nodded off again. There are salts and lotions, and there's a dressing gown in there." With any luck, she'd doze off in there, or get sleepy enough to come lay down.
She looks up from the dish of olives she's been munching on and smiles at him, the hand on her knee making her heart beat faster.
"You still want me to?" The thought had struck her last night on her way to falling asleep in the chair, but she'd held off, too doubtful to take the plunge. She meant everything she said to him last night, but after the panic ebbed off it was hard to tell what was appropriate for her to do.
"After you're sleeping I'll go take a bath and come lay down." She tries not to sound too elated by the idea of sharing his bed and getting to be that close to him, but it's difficult.
There's something familiar about watching her much away on a snack and enjoy it, and that's soothing on its own. It's not lost on him that that's one of her favorite things about this life away from court, and he's glad she has pieces of that right now after such an intense ordeal.
Her questions surprises him, but maybe it shouldn't what with how hesitant he's been. Something he regrets now. "I want you close, so long as you want to be." Even with everything that's happened, he's aware it's his ship, and he's older, and he's the captain -- he doesn't want her to feel pushed to anything. But it's true, too, that he wants her nearby and as long as he can have her.
The tone of her response tells him that he was fretting needlessly again. He squeezes her knee again before he resumes eating, stray thoughts that it's just...nice to be like this with her no longer feeling so scandalous. "Good," he says. "The crew's taking the ship somewhere untraceable for a little while, so we can rest as long as we need without worry."
"I want to be close," she says quietly before shifting in her seat so that she can rest her head on his shoulder while she finishes off her tea. Even if those kisses last night, and the time before that, and that other time had all been flukes, and all he wanted was a friend and a good healer for his crew, she wanted to be close in whatever capacity he wanted.
Even if it felt impossible not to want to kiss him all over again.
"You should talk to the crew once you're feeling better. They're worried."
Well that's a clear enough answer, one that makes his chest feel full. He tilts his head against hers, wishing he could lift his arm to stroke her face, but -- it was seeming like he'd get another chance.
"I will," he murmurs. "They'll be worried about you too. It was a sullen week on the Strahl without our beloved healer."
He keeps working on his tea, though, sitting up only to eat a little more. "Alright," he says, nuzzling against her head once more, "I think I'm ready to be bandaged and sleep again."
"They know I'm here with you, and I'm well enough to do my job, if anyone's beloved, it's you." When she says it she realizes she isn't just talking about the crew at large while using a word like that. He's her beloved, plain and simple.
"Good," Aerith nods when he mentions he's ready to get back to bed and pulls herself away from him. She gets to her feet and dips into the washroom for a fresh washcloth and bandages before returning to his bedside.
"Aerith," he says sternly, even if his heart does strange flips at her turning that word back on him, realizing what he did in picking it for her. "You're part of this crew. People care about both of us. We all want you here, for as long as you'll stay with us." He bites his lip, not sure if this is what he should be doing, but, "I want you here." With him. He didn't know the extent of what Piaget had said to her but -- she was so deeply wanted.
And maybe, he thinks as she goes to get materials, it's not so shocking Piaget got to her. Yes, he doesn't love that she thought him capable of using her but -- wasn't that the world they both came from? The world she was supposed to go back to?
She returns and he smiles up at her, shifting when she asks. "It feels much better. I was expecting it to take at least twice as long to heal."
She settles behind him, carefully cleaning the wound on his back. "I know, but you're their captain, and from what I've heard you haven't been acting like yourself." Her free hand brushes through his hair and over the nape of his neck, absently touching him while she tends to his injury.
"Having a good healer with you is a very worthy asset," Aerith says quietly, smiling to herself as she mulls over what this really means for the two of them.
"Are you tired?" Her hand detangles itself from his hair before she bandages his back and rests a hand on it, calling on her magic to help knit the wound closed faster. "You know, I'm going to use all your fancy soap once you're asleep don't you?" Aerith leans in, peering over her shoulder at his face in profile, her lips brushing against his shoulder as she does.
“Are you telling me off for being distraught?” He asks gently. But he hums lowly, leaning back into the hand in his hair. “Extremely worthy,” he agrees. “I’m lucky to have her. We all are.”
He’s thinking about what this means too, as much as his mind can manage right now, just happy for her hands against him, the flare of magic repairing his skin and muscle. “I am getting tired,” he says. “And you should use it all. We can go buy more together.” She kisses his shoulder and he reaches up to curl his arm around her, his turn to scratch his nails against her hair.
She lets herself cuddle against his back as best she can while avoiding his wound, her eyes fluttering closed from the feel of his hands in her hair.
"Sleep, I'll be back soon."
It's getting more and more difficult to pull away from him the more things get said between them, but she's still his healer and he does need to get all the rest he can if he's going to be back on his feet again soon.
She draws away and into the bathroom, the sound of water running audible before too long. Soon turns into something closer to an hour and a half as Aerith lets herself scrub off the remains of her time in captivity before she soaks in the water, dozing off at least once in the process.
With his dressing gown wrapped tight around her to keep it closed, Aerith tiptoes out of the bathroom, hair loose and still drying as she does her best to inch into bed beside Balthier without disturbing him too much.
The sound of the bath soothes him to sleep, though he falls asleep on top of the blankets. At some point he wakes up and shuffles to a dresser, trading his work pants for an older pair of soft pajama pants, and then climbs back into the bed.
He’s out when she gets into bed, but not so much he doesn’t stir, pushing the blanket out of the way. “Come here,” he says groggily, much too charmed by the vision of her clean and relaxed with mussed hair and wrapped in his dressing gown. And when she does he pulls her against his chest, looping his good arm around her and putting his nose in her hair.
All too pleased to be invited beneath the blankets, Aerith doesn't waste any time cuddling against Balthier's side, deflating against him with a deep sigh as she feels herself put down the weight of what happened, however temporarily.
"Balthier," she murmurs, her voice rich with sleep as she tilts her head up to look at him through heavy-lidded eyes. Her hand comes to cradle his cheek as she smiles at him.
"I just wanted to say that," Aerith begins, not sure where she's going but knowing she has a hell of a lot she wants to tell him. Words fail, leaving her statement half-finished and hanging in the air until she bridges the space between them and kisses him hard.
Her warmth presses to his side, her weight like an anchor. He sighs happily, arm pulling her tight to him, and the sound of his name on her sleepy voice sends goosebumps across his skin. When she touches his cheek, he rolls to look at her, lips parting to say something, but next thing he knows Aerith is kissing him hard, and he's humming into her touch, hand coming to cradle the back of her head as he meets kiss after kiss. His shoulder is still stiff, so he shifts her so he can grip her better, wanting to feel as much of her as he can, wanting to make her feel safe and held and tethered.
When he finally pulls away to catch his breath, there are tears leaking out of his eyes and he's smiling so hard it hurts. "Aerith," he breathes back as his nose gently traces her skin.
The sight of tears in his eyes makes hers well up too.
"Does this," she stops and tries again. "Do you," but that isn't it either and once more Aerith falters, kissing him lightly a few more times before giving it a third try.
His laugh is breathy, like being too loud will some how break this perfect moment. "I really like you too," he promises, bringing a hand to her face and thumbing away some of the moisture there.
"Contrary to my reputation, I'm not in the habit of asking anyone into my bed. I'm finding I quite enjoy this exception." He knows she trusts him, knows she believes him, but he also knows it doesn't hurt to tell her that explicitly before he's kissing her again.
"I've really liked you for awhile now," he murmurs.
Hearing the words echoed back at her she realizes how terribly short they fall, but she basks in it anyway. It almost feels easier to breathe, having a better idea of where they stand.
"I'll stay in your bed as long as you want me to," she shifts against him, cuddling closer, nothing more behind her words than a desire to stay near.
"Does this mean that you want to be with me how I want to be with you?"
"That depends," he says lowly, humming into the way she cuddles against him. He doesn't know how much experience she has with relationships, doesn't know what she can read and assume, so he wants to be clear and he doesn't want to push.
"I want you with me as often as you'd like to be, and I'd like to kiss you a good deal more, and I'd like to spend more days like your birthday together." He clasps his hand around her head, cuddling right back against her, heart skipping because that last one had nearly ended in something more physical, and while he's very open to that, it's also not something he's asking her for before she's ready.
"And to be perfectly clear, I haven't wanted that with anyone else in years, and not like I do with you." That day she'd become so jealous of his friend made more sense to him now. So did the way she'd sometimes preen at being his wife, which now makes his heart stutter. "My life has been so much fuller with you in it, Aerith."
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Date: 2023-02-23 02:50 am (UTC)"Yes, for two," he says, catching the hand in his hair and tugging it down, just enough to turn and kiss her palm. "I'm going to use the restroom, and then you can fret over me as much as you like, and I even promise to listen." He gives her a tired smile. "It's been a long time since anyone tended me."
It's not as hard to get up as he expected; she really is a gifted healer. And when he returns, something in his chest catches at seeing her sitting on his bed, like he can't quite believe that any of this is real.
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Date: 2023-02-23 03:22 am (UTC)The woman she ran into looked stunned by her appearance, enough to make Aerith realize Balthier wasn't kidding about how awful she looked. By the time he returns, she's pinned her hair up in a large coiled bun, the sound of his privy door making her look up quickly.
"Are you alright? Come lay down." Aerith shifts on the edge of his bed, reaching up to fluff his pillows before she frowns at him expectantly.
"The galley has been waiting to hear from me, they'll send up food very soon."
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Date: 2023-02-23 04:09 am (UTC)So when he walks back to her, he just wraps his arms around her -- even through the discomfort of his wounds -- and holds her tight, nestling his nose in her hair.
"I'm alright," he promises, low and gentle. "The magic is taking. But I'll sleep better knowing you're taken care of too, hmm?"
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Date: 2023-02-23 08:23 pm (UTC)With a sigh Aerith leans into the embrace, closing her eyes tightly while he hugs her, one hand resting on his uninjured side.
"They're bringing food for me too. I'll eat with you." She still feels too rattled to be sincerely hungry, but when a sharp series of on knocks at his door begins, the first pangs of needing to eat finally set in.
After stealing a glance up at his face she tries another smile before going to the door to retrieve the massive tray of food the galley send up, complete with two pots of strong tea.
"See? There's no way you can eat this all." Aerith continues as she turns back, heading to a table by his bedside to set it all down.
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Date: 2023-02-23 08:56 pm (UTC)When she moves to go to the door, he squeezes her to him once more before he lets her go. And while she does that, he moves another chair over with his good arm, smiling at her teasing. "Alas, you've found me out, and it would be a shame to waste it." But he catches her arm after she sets the tray down, squeezing it once more. "Thank you." For eating. For taking care of him. For trusting him.
And he's tired, as he settles back into the chair, but his heart is so much lighter than it's been in days.
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Date: 2023-02-24 02:04 am (UTC)"Thank you for saving my life." In so many ways. Being kidnapped and thrown off course from a likely bland, loveless marriage had changed everything for the better. She still feels unsure about where they actually stand. The kisses they exchanged the night before had happened while they were both so keyed up and emotional that it was hard for her to tell if they same would be welcome now.
That doesn't stop her from bending low enough to kiss his forehead before she turns away to pour them both cups of tea and take the covers off the dishes.
"Do you think you feel well enough for something more than soup?" She passes his tea to him before stepping out of the way so he can survey what the galley sent up. Without thinking she reaches for a leg of duck, halfway finished before she realizes.
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Date: 2023-02-24 04:24 am (UTC)"Healer's know best, right?" he muses, taking the tea from her to sip. It feels good on his stomach, and he's glad she's eating too. "Give me a spread, I'll see what I can manage. And take anything you like for yourself. I know Piaget doesn't feed prisoners well." It hurts to say it, hurts to think about how miserable she must have been, and he hates that she isn't taking care of herself now. "And you're using a lot of magic."
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Date: 2023-02-24 05:39 am (UTC)The food helps, but even though she's got a fuller belly than moments before, the urge to wrap her arms around him and keep him close isn't far from her thoughts. For now, she's content to watch him eat, feeding herself in between big sips of tea.
"I'm still going to heal your shoulder soon," she replies when he mentions her using magic, before eating a few more olives. "You fell asleep before I could bandage it."
Aerith dusts her fingers off with a decisive nod. "Then we can both rest, okay?" He asked her to lay down with him before, but she wasn't going to hold him to it unless he brought it up again.
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Date: 2023-02-24 05:10 pm (UTC)She hands him a plate and he lifts his teacup to her in cheers, but for a few minutes they just enjoy companionable silence as they both pick at necessary sustenance.
"I'll allow it," he says, smiling weakly. They both know he's not going to be able to keep her from healing him if she insists. "But -- only if you lay down with me this time." His hand drifts to her knee, concern on his face. Maybe it's too bold, but he doesn't think she's going to agree to going to her own chambers, and she needs sleep too. "Or at the very least go take a bath once I've nodded off again. There are salts and lotions, and there's a dressing gown in there." With any luck, she'd doze off in there, or get sleepy enough to come lay down.
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Date: 2023-02-24 08:39 pm (UTC)"You still want me to?" The thought had struck her last night on her way to falling asleep in the chair, but she'd held off, too doubtful to take the plunge. She meant everything she said to him last night, but after the panic ebbed off it was hard to tell what was appropriate for her to do.
"After you're sleeping I'll go take a bath and come lay down." She tries not to sound too elated by the idea of sharing his bed and getting to be that close to him, but it's difficult.
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Date: 2023-02-24 10:50 pm (UTC)Her questions surprises him, but maybe it shouldn't what with how hesitant he's been. Something he regrets now. "I want you close, so long as you want to be." Even with everything that's happened, he's aware it's his ship, and he's older, and he's the captain -- he doesn't want her to feel pushed to anything. But it's true, too, that he wants her nearby and as long as he can have her.
The tone of her response tells him that he was fretting needlessly again. He squeezes her knee again before he resumes eating, stray thoughts that it's just...nice to be like this with her no longer feeling so scandalous. "Good," he says. "The crew's taking the ship somewhere untraceable for a little while, so we can rest as long as we need without worry."
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Date: 2023-02-24 11:30 pm (UTC)Even if it felt impossible not to want to kiss him all over again.
"You should talk to the crew once you're feeling better. They're worried."
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Date: 2023-02-24 11:54 pm (UTC)"I will," he murmurs. "They'll be worried about you too. It was a sullen week on the Strahl without our beloved healer."
He keeps working on his tea, though, sitting up only to eat a little more. "Alright," he says, nuzzling against her head once more, "I think I'm ready to be bandaged and sleep again."
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Date: 2023-02-25 12:01 am (UTC)"Good," Aerith nods when he mentions he's ready to get back to bed and pulls herself away from him. She gets to her feet and dips into the washroom for a fresh washcloth and bandages before returning to his bedside.
"Turn around, let me see your back."
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Date: 2023-02-25 01:08 am (UTC)And maybe, he thinks as she goes to get materials, it's not so shocking Piaget got to her. Yes, he doesn't love that she thought him capable of using her but -- wasn't that the world they both came from? The world she was supposed to go back to?
She returns and he smiles up at her, shifting when she asks. "It feels much better. I was expecting it to take at least twice as long to heal."
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Date: 2023-02-25 01:46 am (UTC)"Having a good healer with you is a very worthy asset," Aerith says quietly, smiling to herself as she mulls over what this really means for the two of them.
"Are you tired?" Her hand detangles itself from his hair before she bandages his back and rests a hand on it, calling on her magic to help knit the wound closed faster. "You know, I'm going to use all your fancy soap once you're asleep don't you?" Aerith leans in, peering over her shoulder at his face in profile, her lips brushing against his shoulder as she does.
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Date: 2023-02-25 03:41 am (UTC)He’s thinking about what this means too, as much as his mind can manage right now, just happy for her hands against him, the flare of magic repairing his skin and muscle. “I am getting tired,” he says. “And you should use it all. We can go buy more together.” She kisses his shoulder and he reaches up to curl his arm around her, his turn to scratch his nails against her hair.
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Date: 2023-02-25 03:58 am (UTC)"Sleep, I'll be back soon."
It's getting more and more difficult to pull away from him the more things get said between them, but she's still his healer and he does need to get all the rest he can if he's going to be back on his feet again soon.
She draws away and into the bathroom, the sound of water running audible before too long. Soon turns into something closer to an hour and a half as Aerith lets herself scrub off the remains of her time in captivity before she soaks in the water, dozing off at least once in the process.
With his dressing gown wrapped tight around her to keep it closed, Aerith tiptoes out of the bathroom, hair loose and still drying as she does her best to inch into bed beside Balthier without disturbing him too much.
no subject
Date: 2023-02-25 04:21 am (UTC)He’s out when she gets into bed, but not so much he doesn’t stir, pushing the blanket out of the way. “Come here,” he says groggily, much too charmed by the vision of her clean and relaxed with mussed hair and wrapped in his dressing gown. And when she does he pulls her against his chest, looping his good arm around her and putting his nose in her hair.
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Date: 2023-02-25 04:28 am (UTC)"Balthier," she murmurs, her voice rich with sleep as she tilts her head up to look at him through heavy-lidded eyes. Her hand comes to cradle his cheek as she smiles at him.
"I just wanted to say that," Aerith begins, not sure where she's going but knowing she has a hell of a lot she wants to tell him. Words fail, leaving her statement half-finished and hanging in the air until she bridges the space between them and kisses him hard.
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Date: 2023-02-25 11:48 pm (UTC)When he finally pulls away to catch his breath, there are tears leaking out of his eyes and he's smiling so hard it hurts. "Aerith," he breathes back as his nose gently traces her skin.
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Date: 2023-02-26 01:49 am (UTC)"Does this," she stops and tries again. "Do you," but that isn't it either and once more Aerith falters, kissing him lightly a few more times before giving it a third try.
"I really like you."
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Date: 2023-02-26 02:40 am (UTC)"Contrary to my reputation, I'm not in the habit of asking anyone into my bed. I'm finding I quite enjoy this exception." He knows she trusts him, knows she believes him, but he also knows it doesn't hurt to tell her that explicitly before he's kissing her again.
"I've really liked you for awhile now," he murmurs.
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Date: 2023-02-26 03:28 am (UTC)"I'll stay in your bed as long as you want me to," she shifts against him, cuddling closer, nothing more behind her words than a desire to stay near.
"Does this mean that you want to be with me how I want to be with you?"
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Date: 2023-02-26 09:22 pm (UTC)"I want you with me as often as you'd like to be, and I'd like to kiss you a good deal more, and I'd like to spend more days like your birthday together." He clasps his hand around her head, cuddling right back against her, heart skipping because that last one had nearly ended in something more physical, and while he's very open to that, it's also not something he's asking her for before she's ready.
"And to be perfectly clear, I haven't wanted that with anyone else in years, and not like I do with you." That day she'd become so jealous of his friend made more sense to him now. So did the way she'd sometimes preen at being his wife, which now makes his heart stutter. "My life has been so much fuller with you in it, Aerith."
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