isleofavalon | ninth shot ⊗ closed december catchall

[So she still has it... And took it with her even before they even entered a relationship. It would have puzzled him before but now he feels that bit of happiness growing a bit.

But then a thought occurs to him.]

...Have you not told them about us?

[Since she said Aerith might be wondering about it, that meant she hasn't explained what it is. Which means she might not have said anything about him or their relationship yet.]

[Ahh, this was bound to come up eventually, wasn't it? He doesn't seem upset about the fact that she hasn't, and initially, Tifa had worried about how she was going to broach the subject—how was she supposed to tell her... boyfriend... that she hadn't told her best friend about him?]

Not yet...

[Still, she does sound ashamed.]

Haven't found the right time to do it yet, but I'd like to soon. It's just... [She nuzzles her face into his shoulder, muttering into it.] I don't really know how to tell her.

[The way it had happened was... complicated, on her part. There were a lot of underlying emotions that went into it, and putting them into words? She isn't sure she knows where to begin, and dumping all of that on Aerith wouldn't feel right.

Even though no one said she should, and likely won't.]

Guess I just wanted to make sure I knew what this was first.

[Although he is a little surprised, he also isn't that bothered by it. Not everyone goes and broadcasts their change in relationship and even he hadn't directly stated anything to Gran, but he's fairly certain the young captain figured it out given everything and his own involvement. His own personality lends to the privacy as well. So while he imagined Tifa would be more open about it than he would be, he could understand.

However... There is one part that concerns him.]

Have I been that unclear?

[His voice is soft as he thinks back and wonders. Had he really just gone along with everything between them without stating his intentions? Does he even know what they are? Maybe he didn't realize he hadn't put it to words or that he needed to.]

[Tifa's eyes widen, and she presses a reassuring hand to his arm.]

N-no! It's nothing to do with you.

[That's what she had worried about, and although her brows knit together with concern, she still can't help but laugh a little at how silly this all is. Here they are on a date, and they've been on a number of others that might as well count, and she's sitting here saying she needed to be sure she knew "what this was", as if it could be anything else.

It was just her way of running from the feelings that scared her the most—the ones that were so strong and so out of left field for her that she didn't know what else to do with them.

But saying as much might only make it worse.]

I'll tell her. I just know that there's going to be a lot of interest and questions about the how, why, who... you know? [Though she does wonder now:] Does Gran know?

[...So it's her that's unclear. But that's understandable, too, given she had a lot more on her side than he did. And really at this stage, he's not going to be expecting or asking more than either is comfortable with.]

I haven't explicitly said anything, but given he had a hand on that hot springs trip, I'm sure he's figured it out.

...But Tifa.

[He then turns slightly so he can face her properly.]

It doesn't really matter to me if you tell anyone or not, so do whatever makes you feel the most comfortable. Don't force yourself if you don't feel ready.

[He lowers his face a little, eyes gentle as he gazes down at her.]

The same goes for us. We're still figuring things out, so it's fine to take your time. [And then a light smirk.] Just don't think about running away from me.

[Her eyes widen—only slightly—enough to catch the glimmer of the candlelight on the table next to her, when he says those words. There's never been a moment she's spent with him where she didn't fully appreciate his strong, calming presence, but each time she realizes it, she finds out that she only appreciates him more than she thought she was capable of, and this is no exception.

Tifa sets the rose down on the table and brushes the sides of his face.]

Thank you...

[And she leans up to press a kiss to his cheek, light and feathery, with an air of her smile behind it when she hears the waiters coming over, and bringing the smell of food along with them, and just as they come around the corner, Tifa slides away, further this time and putting some space between them... as if urging him to chase her or pull her back... if he dares.

Not that she'll allow him to do much with them there, setting the food on the table—steak and meatloaf, potatoes, steamed vegetables, and they pause to top up their wine too. It's not until she thanks them as they leave that she looks back at him again.]

I won't. Not until I've finished eating.

[He is indeed tempted and there is a glimmer in his eye as he looks at her. However, he will behave and remain in place, letting the waiters set down their food in peace.]

Dine and dash, is that it?

[She shuffles a little closer again. And then a little closer.

With the way their food is placed, she should be sitting right up against him, but she remains where she is for now, resting an elbow on the table, and propping her chin up as her smile spreads.]

I guess you could call it that.

[~~He is a meal, isn't he?~~

A beat, and she picks up a fork and dabs it into the apple sauce, before she slowly spreads it over the sliced meatloaf.]

I still plan on paying, though.

[Are they still talking about the food?]

[He sees her creeping, an amused smile flickering over his lips as he remains where he is, not acting any different as he starts cutting into his steak.]

Didn't you pay the last time?

[Are they? Are they?]

Did I? I don't remember... but...

[She pauses to take a bite of the porkchops lathered with the apple sauce, and her face puckers with joy when that first burst of flavour hits her. She'd forgotten how delicious it was, and how it was melt-in-your-mouth perfect that not even her homemade porkchops—that everyone at Seventh Heaven loved!—could compare.

It takes her a moment to find her words again, and she's already digging in for a second bite when she eyes the steak.]

I'm not going to let you take care of it all this time. This is a two-way street. We both have to pay up a little.

[Which means he should be perfectly fine with her stealing one of his steamed vegetables.]

Edited 2021-12-10 16:30 (UTC)

[He is more than fine and even sets aside a few slices just for her. Of course he'll cut into part of that pork chop for himself in return.]

Fine. You can take care of the main meal, and I'll handle the wine and desserts.

Wine's on the house.

[She winks at him, and slides the plate closer to him, along with herself. An inch or two, but still not close enough.]

So guess that means we just have to order extra dessert to make up for it. Gonna have to start thinking about what I want now, considering the size of the menu.

Guess it's my turn to say that I've already covered it.

[Just saying that casually before he taking another forkful of steak. Yum.]

[Through her own bite of the steak that she happily stole from his plate, Tifa arches her brows.]

... Covered what?

[The dessert? No way it would be the wine, if the manager insisted so much that they allow them to at least cover that in return for all the trouble of their last visit.]

You didn't make it all special, did you?

[Please... not after what happened last time...]

Of course not.

[A calm sip of water.]

You know I don't like big presentations like that. I just knew we'd have this discussion so I went ahead and handled my end.

You didn't have to do that.

[Shuffling over some more, only this time, it's the whole way—until she's shoulder to shoulder with him again, and she offers him a bite of porkchop from her fork.]

Does that mean I won't have to order dessert, or do I still get to pick something from the menu?

[Only now does he smile a little.]

I might not have had to, but I wanted to. And you can choose whatever you want.

Hmm. Well, that brownie did sound pretty good...

[Minus the whole show. Honestly, she can't even express how grateful she is that he isn't someone who enjoys that kind of thing—Tifa never did like being the center of attention either, so big surprises like that in public are not exactly her sort of thing.]

I'll take another look again once we're done.

[Which won't take very long. Tifa's hunger combined with the taste of the food makes quick work of their dinner, so much that there are hardly leftovers remaining on their plates by the end of it. The porkchops were as good as she remembered it being, and the steak was almost too perfect—juicy and just as melt-in-your-mouth delicious as her own choice. Their dinner conversation is just as pleasant as well, in between stealing bites from each other's plates.

She did leave room for dessert of course, so when the servers ask what they would like for dessert, she's already prepared with an answer.]

The brownie, please.

[They know exactly the one, and the waiters smile knowingly at each other as they top up their wine again. A sideways glance at Eustace, and she clarifies.]

... Just the brownie, though. We don't need anything crazy.

[Then, to Eustace:] What do you think? Want anything else? Maybe something for us to take home for later?

[Immediately, she realizes the words she'd just said, and quickly clears her throat. Us, home... Listen to yourself, Tifa.]

I mean, that we can each take a piece of.

[Despite how he looks, Eustace does enjoy eating with the company of others, especially when everyone is having a good time. But having a dinner like this, together he's grown quite fond of, brings such a strong feeling of peace and calm that he doesn't realize that even if it's just a little upturn of his lips there is almost always a quiet smile throughout the dinner. Because of that, it all seems to both pass too quickly and last for quite a while at the same time.

Once ready for the dessert, Eustace just gives the servers a flat look. He knows they tried to "suggest" things, and he feels the weight in his breast pocket once more, but he refuses to do that kind of charade again. So his chilling silence only confirms Tifa's words, his attitude softening immediately once they leave and it's just the two of them once more... And then it takes him a moment to fully process what she just said.

At first he hadn't thought much of it, interpreting it as she initially meant—take back to their respective homes. But then when she clarifies he sees the other meaning and it gives him a little pause. They haven't been "together" for too long yet so the idea would be quite sudden, yet.... ...Somehow it doesn't seem that strange? He's not sure if they're ready for something like that, but he doesn't feel that opposed to it either.

So he just smiles a little amused.]

Sure.

[It's a simple response, just one word that easily refers to her suggestion. But he also doesn't say anything about her little "fumble" either so...who knows if it could mean something there as well.

One day...it wouldn't be such a bad idea, perhaps.]

[After some thought:]

Two slices of chocolate cake too, then. Please.

[That's a kind of cake that most people like, right? And if he doesn't, well, she'll happily take his share. Aerith and Nanaki wouldn't say no to chocolate cake, or any cake!

The servers nod and wander off to fetch their desserts, taking their half-empty plates with them to box up the rest, and Tifa turns back to Eustace, her face oddly red again—that she's going to do her best to ignore. Silence lingers between them as she tries to come up with something else to say. It's never hard for her to make conversation, but following all of that, she's having a harder time than normal putting thoughts to words.

Thankfully, any silence between them now is anything but awkward. Only comfortable.

She did catch those smiles, though...]

What's got you smiling so much tonight?

[He may not like overly sweet things often, but he can handle a slice of chocolate cake.]

Smiling?

[Eustace looks at her curiously. He knows he's smiled a few times, but he's unaware of all the other times so he wonders what she means.]

[Cute... He hasn't even noticed, has he?

Tifa snickers into her wine, tossing back a small sip to help drown some of it out, hoping not to embarrass him too much.]

All through dinner. Even before that.

[Not that it's strange! She's seen him smile often enough, but there's been something so warm about the ones he's worn tonight that could put the rest to shame. She can only hope that he has plenty to be happy about right now, because she's feeling the same lightness in her heart right now.]

It's nice... to see you smiling so much.

What... [He subconsciously half covers his mouth as he tries to recall, but he really can't. He can think that he has been in good spirits the whole time... Is he really unconsciously smiling that much??

He does feel a little embarrassed, but given the reasons for it, he can't feel that bad. Isn't it a sign that he's really starting to move on and change a bit? Letting himself indulge in these special moments?

So in the end he smiles—a knowing one—before he tilts his head and looks at her, chin resting against his folded hands.]

You're one to talk. You've been smiling and giggling the entire time.

[She watches him, almost as if entranced by the way his expression changes from surprised to embarrassed, and then back to a smile that he puts on knowingly, and she can't help but return it tenfold. It's contagious, especially when it comes from him, and it draws another peal of laughter from her that she has to set her glass down to cover her mouth.]

I'm just... really glad to be here is all.

[That much is obvious, but...]

With everything that was on my mind before, at the beginning, it was hard to believe we would be, you know? But I guess I can say that I'm... finally happy.

[Hearing those words sends an odd ticklish feeling in his chest, one he's never felt before. To think he could actually make someone feel that way...]

...I could never imagine it.

[The words quietly slip out before he can stop himself, but he doesn't try to retract them. Instead he laughs a bit.]

Certainly not given our personalities, pasts, and everything else.

[Yes they both can be sweet on each other, but at their core they are complete opposites—and they certainly clashed a bit because of it with him always feeling like he had to play chaperone and make sure she didn't get into too much trouble. But maybe that's exactly how he ended up getting drawn in.]

Sure you won't regret it? You might find someone more compatible.

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