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Eustace ([personal profile] flamekthunder) wrote in [community profile] isleofavalon2021-12-02 02:30 pm

ninth shot ⊗ closed december catchall

🧙 WHO: Eustace and planned CR
⚔️️ WHAT: various things
🕒 WHEN: throughout December
🗺️ WHERE: various
⚠️ WARNINGS: none

[Closed catchall log for the month. Feel free to PM or contact at [plurk.com profile] laenavesse to plot something!]
starshower: (temp 142)

[personal profile] starshower 2021-12-29 02:49 am (UTC)(link)
[Her head tips, and she looks down to the knife, then back up at him.]

Hm? Not even on your birthday?

[Maybe that's just an odd thing for her to think of. Growing up, Tifa had plenty of friends who would come to any parties her parents hosted, including birthdays, and each kid would always be showered with gifts on theirs. They were never anything extravagant or expensive, but they were thoughtful and meant something.

... The thought makes her aware of another detail that she's missed.]


When is it anyway?
starshower: (temp 253)

[personal profile] starshower 2021-12-29 04:06 am (UTC)(link)
[For the sake of convenience—]

That's so soon.

[And for a beat, she considers asking if he wanted or was going to do anything special—a get together with friends, or perhaps a nice dinner somewhere, but that isn't really him, is it? Although it would be fun to surprise him with the former, if she'd met most of them...]

Any plans?
starshower: (temp 018)

[personal profile] starshower 2021-12-29 06:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[Hearing that... makes her kind of sad... but at least now she knows that it's coming up and can plan something accordingly. Even if it will be something simple, perhaps with just the two of them. Whatever it is, she's going to make sure that it's both fun and quiet. A peaceful birthday, but still one that he deserves.]

Well, now I know.

[Not wanting to dwell on the upset turn her stomach is doing, she leans forward, her smile disappearing into a kiss that she presses to his lips, brief and light, before she's biting into her strawberry again, her eyes saying everything that words aren't needed to. They'll cross that bridge when they get there but for now, she's going to make the best of their first real date and take advantage of the fact that they're finally alone again.]

But we'll save that for later.
starshower: (temp 043)

[personal profile] starshower 2021-12-29 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Not soon enough that you need to worry about it right now.

[Her eyes flick to the strawberry where they linger for a moment, then back to him.]

May third, in the spring, but you can worry about that when we get closer. You'll need to plan a party for me, so save some energy.

[She's only teasing! But unlike him, Tifa is a social butterfly who would absolutely want all of her friends to be there to celebrate with her. She never had birthday parties after leaving Nibelheim, so they've become something of a special thing to her these days...]
starshower: (temp 089)

[personal profile] starshower 2021-12-29 10:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[She watches him go, taking the strawberries and wine with him, knowing full well where this is going to lead when he stops at the door to the bathroom, and she takes a few moments to admire him from afar, as if she's—once again—memorizing every detail before she's pushing herself off the bed with a giggle, and practically leaping across the room to him, only to wrap her arms around his waist and shuffle him through the door.]

Of course not. I'm not going to let you have all the wine to yourself.

[And she kicks the door shut behind them. No peeking!

✨✨✨


Having spoken of birthdays earlier in the month, it had gotten Tifa started on thinking—what would her ideal birthday be? One with a lot of people, with plenty of food and drinks and laughter to go around, where all of the friends she cared about were there with her. And she'd make the biggest, most delicious cake—strawberry cheesecake, maybe, if she could manage it. She wouldn't need gifts at all, as long as she had everything else.

And now, what was the opposite of that?

It was one of the quieter nights they've spent together. No frills, no fancy restaurants or dresses and suits, but their comfiest clothes and thickest socks to keep them warm, and the best part? No one else but them. It was saddening to know that Gran had left before he could spend Eustace's birthday with him, but she knows that he's gone back home, is safe, and is doing what he does best. And to be honest, she can't exactly complain that they now have someplace to go to be alone without having to spend money to do so, and after Eustace was left like this, she's spent more time here with him, keeping him company, than she hasn't.

They've been able to enjoy a quiet dinner that she prepared for him—the juiciest, biggest steaks she could find in Camelot, along with the important greens to go along with it, and some red wine to compliment the dish, and have finished up the small cake that she had also baked with her own two hands. It was nothing fancy or too sweet—just a light vanilla cake with fresh raspberries, and she hardly feels too full after a helping.

Looking forward to some time to wind down after all that food, Tifa is cleaning up the dishes when she glances over at him.]


So? What'd you think of the cake? It wasn't too sweet, was it?
Edited 2021-12-29 23:01 (UTC)
starshower: (temp 201)

[personal profile] starshower 2021-12-30 04:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[She's pretended up until now not to notice how he's been much more tired than usual. The last couple of days when she's stopped by, he'd seemed... fatigued, almost sick, but assumed that it had been a cold, or even the flu plaguing him. It was "that time of year", wasn't it? With how cold it's been, she wouldn't doubt that their immune systems weren't running at full capacity. She'd tell him to rest, and bring him plenty of water and blankets, insisting that he rest while she takes care of everything else, but that was as much as she could do, lest she wound his pride even more.

Still, she's been worried about Eustace since the first day it had hit him, and hasn't stopped since, but she's tried to remain calm when it only started to worsen, not wanting to give him more reason for concern.

But then she sees his eyes close, and that delay in his response has her setting the plate in her hands down so that she can cross back to him and hold him steady, her grip firm on both of his arms.]


I did.

[Her smile has faded into worry as she searches his face.]

You should go lie down. I'll join you once I'm done here.
starshower: (temp 256)

[personal profile] starshower 2021-12-30 05:22 pm (UTC)(link)
[She hesitates, holding him still a little longer before she concedes with a defeated nod. Tifa typically wouldn't hear another word and would usher him off to bed immediately, but... there's something about the way he looks down at her that makes her want to keep him right there. The dishes could wait, but she wouldn't be able to rest soundly knowing that there would be work for her to do in the morning.]

Fine. But we're going as soon as we're done. ... I just wish you'd stop overworking yourself so much.

[Which won't take too long, thankfully. They make a good team, even in the kitchen, that they make quick work of the cleaning so that by the end of it, it's as if they hadn't been cooking or eating in there at all. The second they finish, she'll close the gap between them again, a heavy smile crossing over her face.]

You don't need me to carry you to bed, do you? I will if I have to.
starshower: (temp 220)

[personal profile] starshower 2021-12-30 11:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[She allows him room to roam, her own arms snaking up and around his neck while the smallest of sighs escapes her. They could just stay here, but the counter digging into her back forces her to shift so that she's closer to him than it.]

I know.

[Tifa taps a finger against his chin to bring his face level with hers. If she lets him go any further, he might just unwind her and convince her to stay.]

It'd be more comfortable at least.

[Not to mention, he looks tired. She can see how heavy his lids have been, and can feel the tension coiling in his muscles, and for as much as she wouldn't mind a little spontaneity, she would much rather him be relaxed and comfortable.]
starshower: (temp 143)

[personal profile] starshower 2021-12-31 12:35 am (UTC)(link)
[There was something different that night.

He'd become more emboldened, more passionate, and the intensity of it all could be felt looming heavy in the room even after they finally lay their heads down to rest next to each other, her fingers combing gently through his hair, her other hand drawing light circles over the planes of his back, holding him close. It had surprised her a little, but not in a bad sense. Quite the opposite, and Tifa had matched him in kind that now, she can feel her eyes growing heavy, her entire body sinking into the bed as they lie there together in silence for a while, listening to his breathing.

It's a bit of a strange buzz after, where she feels so invigorated and awake, but at the same time, she could easily fall asleep if she wanted to. Not that she wants to... Knowing how fickle their time is here, Tifa would always make these moments last as long as she could, even if they would always wake up next to each other the next day.

She nuzzles her own face into his hair, smiling as she breathes in his scent.]


You weren't lying. [That'll show her.] You're feeling better?
starshower: (temp 124)

[personal profile] starshower 2021-12-31 03:54 am (UTC)(link)
[If he isn't careful, he might force them into another round, and Tifa tries not to lean too much into it to save them from that fate—although would it be so terrible? It's not like she has anywhere important to be right now or in the morning. But no, she reins herself back in, the small noises turning into soft sighs as she curls right up against him.]

This is nice.

[It's a low, timid murmur against his chest. She feels like she shouldn't be saying something like that, considering that Gran leaving is still a fresh wound, but it's the truth.]

Can't remember the last time we were able to spend time like this... that wasn't a hotel or a castle or... a cave.
starshower: (temp 257)

[personal profile] starshower 2021-12-31 03:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[She gives a nod in agreement, gentle into his hair, and Tifa closes her eyes. A comfortable silence follows as she thinks back to all the times they had found some time to be alone like this, and how they compared to now. Not that she would change anything about any of the previous trysts they've had, but there's something to be said about it being in his home, in his bed... She doesn't feel like they're rushing against the clock... That they could easily stay here for hours and hours and not have to care about someone finding them or having to check out in the morning.

Like there's not a single worry in the world right now.

Her legs curl around his, and she pulls him closer, humming contentedly to herself.]


You know, I was thinking...

[She blurts out the words before she even realizes where the thought is going, and with a pause, she buries her face in the crook of his neck when she feels it heat up.]

... Never mind. It's stupid.
starshower: (temp 256)

[personal profile] starshower 2021-12-31 04:30 pm (UTC)(link)
...

[She's quiet a little longer, not even sure where the thought came from or why it came to her so suddenly. It's not as if she hadn't thought about it after Gran left, but would it have been moving too much too fast? Or was Balthier right—would it be better for them to just seize the moment when they had it, because there was no way to tell how long they would have?

Tifa wanted to listen, but there was still that twinge of doubt deep down beneath the happiness being with him brought her, and so she never bothered to bring it up... until she'd just about said it without thinking.]


What if... I stayed here with you? ... Permanently?
starshower: (temp 051)

[personal profile] starshower 2021-12-31 05:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[She doesn't move from where she is, happy to stay curled up in his arms like this for as long as time will allow, but she can hear it in his voice, and it's all she needs to make that decision. Aerith would understand... and it's not like they won't ever see each other again. Tifa would visit often... but she'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't happiest when she was here, with him. That being with him was more than enough to chase off all of the bad thoughts that she would often fall into when she wasn't. Perhaps that part is a little selfish, but in the end, what mattered was that he makes her happy and she hopes it's the same for him.]

In the morning, I'll make us some breakfast, and we can talk about it more then.

[As if there was anything to talk about, but if they were going to do this, they'd need to establish a few things, surely. That wasn't something worth talking about now though, not like this, but at least he's agreeable to it, and it didn't turn into an embarrassing slip-up.

There's a pause, the silence filled with a breathy laugh from her, and Tifa finally pushes herself away just far enough to look at him.]


I've got a gift for you too, but I don't feel like getting up.

[She doesn't feel like getting up right now.]

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