[ they're words she only wanted to reiterate, now that she's seen him again, to say aloud instead of penning to paper, again and again.
she knows more the shape of his love now and the ways he loves her. every letter she's received is kept in pristine condition, every word a treasure kept close to her heart, every instance of understanding somehow fragile yet unbreakable in her memory. ]
I know. [ she's not abashed to say or acknowledge it. ] Are you still afraid? Have the others lessened that for you?
That's a good change. [ the first part, at least ] The people here are kinder in their own unique ways. If anyone here cast you aside, I'd be surprised.
[ they're not influenced by the isolated culture the island seemed to cultivate.
she's contemplative as she listens, looking at the flowers visible in the distance. ]
The kind of love you want... the way you want to be loved... it's the kind of love you'd face the whole world for. Is that right?
I want to be in love with someone who is in love with me.
[ he's learned well enough now that he's loved. people are kind to him, but they always follow it up with 'you are such a wonderful friend' and so he knows, still, it's not what he's looking for.
he does remember this conversation. and so his heart does skip a bit, treacherously and traitorously. still, he just smiles at her and tilts his head ]
... someone told me it's possible to love more than one person at once. I think... that's true, because I do. I think it's also possible to be in love with more than one person at once.
[ . . . ]
I think the people I'm in love with right now might make that complicated.
[ because... he wants adolphe to be with elysia, because he thinks they could make each other happy—but that depends on adolphe, just as much as it depends on elysia. yves can't force things, even if he can be gentle in her encouragement and sincere with his observations.
and... well. there is claude.
they make it to the flowers, and yves turns to face elysia. he takes both of her hands in his and looks thoughtful. he didn't think he'd have to think this hard about falling in love. or maybe it's not the falling that was the hard part, but what comes after. the landing. ]
... but I do love you, Ellie. Every piece. I don't want to shy away from that, just because other things are complicated. If it's about the feeling, then I think you deserve to hear that from me. I want you to hear it from me.
To know that someone's seen all the parts of you that you care to share—and I love you.
How many times have you been told you're getting ahead of yourself?
[ it's said with fondness because there's more than adolphe getting in his own way that's the problem.
however, with elysia, the key to understanding her is understanding how she loves and how much she wants to be just like what she loves. to call her human and acknowledge her humanity despite how she's never been a human, to call her an ordinary girl just like everyone else despite how abnormal she can be.
yves took such a fatal line away from adolphe.
but it is what comes after that is the hard part. there's no denying the warmth she feels in his presence or from his words. how couldn't she know love when she feels it? ]
I love you, too, Yves. I am in love with you. [ because he deserves to hear that, too, if it's just about the feeling, she can say it easily enough. that's not the difficult part.
she looks at their joined hands, smiling as she always does. ] I don't know if there was any other outcome to your earnestness. I don't think I could have stopped myself from loving you even if I wanted to. I don't mind that you're in love with others. I can guess who they are.
[ she accepts that as much as she accepts loving him, as readily as she accepts yves loving her. his heart seeks and seeks.
she intertwines her fingers with his in spite of the words she chooses next. ]
I know I can love more than one person, but Yves, if you had to choose, I want you to choose the other people you love.
[ everyday i will be shaking over the fact that adolphe never said that to her king why do you leave all your banger romantic lines for your best friend who even are you
understanding is an interesting thing, though. for yves, who knew elysia for one week and came to the conclusion that they were cut from the same cloth. there are things about her that feel so faraway—to think that she is someone who is meant to destroy humanity, and yet. and yet to meet her, and love her nonetheless.
still, it warms his heart to be told that she's in love with him too. it is what he wanted to hear for so long, and... it makes him feel just a little bit like he's floating. for something that he chased after for so long, he was worried. would it not be enough? would it never fully measure up to what he was hoping for?
he didn't need to be worried. his heart aches in the best way, and it finally feels like a pain that's a little worthwhile.
and yet— ]
Ahaha... why did I have a feeling you'd say that?
[ he accepts their intertwined fingers, but he also uses their hold to pull her close to him. as if they've been apart for far too long already. ]
Tell me why, Ellie. [ soft, not all that demanding ] Why would you not want me to choose you when I've already been in love with you for so long?
she lets herself be pulled to him. there's no resistance to the closeness, and there's little resistance to his question, but she looks at him for a long moment, as if she's choosing which words she wants to say first and wanting to treasure this moment for one second more. she etches his warmth, his expression, his presence into her heart. ]
Because as happy as loving and being loved by you makes me, I think you'll be happier with the other people you love. You wrote to me that you were planning to go with Adolphe after all of this was over, right? And you said you were asking about going somewhere else, too, weren't you? Maybe to where the other person you love lives?
[ she is thinking about claude and the role she had in taking away claude. ]
When I think about that kind of future for you, it leaves me satisfied.
[ she does think it's a good thing his heart is so open as to have fallen in love with others. she's never been possessive or jealous. she can be greedy and want more, but the way her greed manifests shifts and changes with every new desire she has. ]
Once, I told you I don't think anyone should fall in love me, and although I'm selfish enough to cherish the love you hold for me now, the reason I said that still remains.
[ she takes a small breath, as if to steady herself. this is the difficult part for her, the part where she wonders if maybe she should have kept silent about her feelings.
but she doesn't like leaving things unsaid when she can help it, and it's difficult for her to not answer yves when he asks for something. ]
I can't promise you any more time than the time we have here.
[ if he were to be truly honest with himself, he'd guessed as much. elysia had shared that she'd already met the end of her life, and has since lived in her simulation. in that simulation, she's able to be with all of her friends, yes—but they are not exactly alive. and if yves is to be honest with himself, when he thinks about where he wants to take adolphe after this... a place that is not truly alive isn't quite right. not when there's options for them to proceed elsewhere.
that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt to know. that doesn't mean it doesn't cause him an ache deep in his chest to hear it. ]
... you have somewhere else to be, right? [ if he remembers correctly. ] Is it somewhere you don't want to be followed?
[ is there no chance of meeting again after this, even if it's possible to connect the different worlds? he finds himself wondering, because even now, he seeks love. always, he seeks love.
it is hard to have what he wants given to him and then immediately slipping out of his fingers before he can get a true grasp on it ]
[ there is a real and living world outside her simulation world, but it's not one that elysia would ever choose to go because it is not her era to live in. she is history that has been stricken out, and she could not tell anyone to go to a world where almost no one knows who she is.
she takes another breath. it's moments like this when she's her most fragile, when she knows her decisions can lead to something being broken. ]
I'm sorry. All I can seem to do is make cruel choices lately. It's not a matter of want... if it was about what I wanted....
[ that'd be another answer. ]
There will be nowhere to follow me to once I've finished what I set out to do.
[ it's different from the confident, glowing girl that everyone gets to see—even if right now, yves still thinks that she's so lovely. he'll let his arm settle around her waist instead, pulling her close to him so that he can be whatever type of shield or guardian he can muster. even if it's just for a short time.
he tucks her hair behind her ear before letting his hand cup her cheek gently. with so much affection and tenderness, he leans down to press a kiss to the opposite cheek, as if that'll do anything at all to help. maybe it won't make anything better, but he hopes it won't make anything worse. ]
... I know that what you want is to always help people. To do your best with the difficult situation you're handed.
[ and that's something he could never condemn her for. ]
It's alright to admit it's frightening. That you don't want things to end.
I made my peace with the end of my story. That's not what I'm afraid of. It's an ending I've chosen for myself.
[ she will make it as glorious an ending as she possibly can, for herself and for her friends. she knows what she has to do there. all she ever does is try to grant a future to others.
but here in heaven, where she is more out of her element, where she is among more people to love and leave, more people to say goodbye to, it makes her waver, especially during this week. he cups her cheek, and he kisses her other cheek, and her emotions make her begin to glow a little, crystals forming behind her among the flowers. she tries to keep them at bay, but it's difficult when there is loss of some control. ]
If I'm honest, I don't want to have to say goodbye to you. I don't want to love you and have to leave you.
[ ... ]
I guess there's a part of me that wants to be selfish.
[ he understands. and he'd said it well enough in the letter— ]
Even if I understand the choices that you make, I will always want to choose you.
[ no matter how selfish it makes him. there is a version of events where elysia is the only person that he's in love with, and he follows her even if there's nowhere else to be after, because it doesn't matter to him that there will be no world to exist in after because she is already his entire world. it is so close that there are whispers of it in his ear, telling him that for the love he craves what other option is there in this—such maddeningly simple, adoring minutes.
he can only just barely resist it.
instead, he'll lean down to press his lips to hers as if to capture some of that selfishness himself. ]
Thank you for showing me your honesty and your selfishness.
[ it shouldn't, but it takes her by surprise when he kisses her. after all she's said and done, after she's told him to choose others (something she still does believe is what is more right for him), she didn't think he'd choose to do this when he loves two others.
it's an emotional breaking point, and when a herrscher's emotions overflow, sometimes, their transformation and powers come unbidden. elysia's hair grows impossibly longer and her eyes, before they shut, turn violet. ]
Don't reward me for my selfishness. Do you want to see me cry?
[ she's joking about crying, but her emotions are welling up within her. there's an incredible warmth that continues to bloom, and there is a part of her that knows she has another choice. in another version of events, she could choose to leave a world she has died for time and time again. she does not need to be the one to destroy the elysian realm because there are others who can stop the threat that's corrupted it. her devotion to save the world she loves could turn into a devotion to save someone else.
but she made a promise she will keep, and she doesn't know how to let go of a love she's held for thousands of years.
even if tonight, she wants to be more selfish than she's ever been. ]
If I could think only of myself, I would choose you.
[ she floats up to kiss him again because at least for tonight, she can choose him. ]
[ her magical girl transformation is a little surprise—but yves just laughs and goes along with it the same way that he goes along with the floating. he still keeps his arm around her waist to keep her close, as close as he can possibly keep her, especially knowing that soon she may have to be gone. so far gone that he'll never reach her again, and—
ah, he'd burn the world for her. but he can't, because that is the world she loves.
he lets his arms loop around her and then picks her up to spin her, lifting her just a bit and then lowering her just enough for their mouths to catch again. ]
If you were to cry, I'd kiss each of your tears away. [ a promise ] But I'd always love to see your smiles instead.
So tonight, let's be selfish. [ as if it hasn't already been insane, but,, ] Let's only think of ourselves for one night, and choose each other even if tomorrow we can't anymore.
[ even if tomorrow, they'll both go back to being in love with other people and the world and every soul they could possibly stand to save.
but tonight, they can love each other without fear of repercussions ]
Let's go on a date, Ellie. One where you're just a girl, and I'm just the boy who's so in love with you.
[ she cups his face in her hands to press another kiss against his lips before she winds her arms over his shoulders. she rests her forehead against his. ]
Your smiles are the ones that make me happiest.
[ even if there is an aching pang that knows she won't get to see them again someday, a day that will all be too soon in the span of her long, long existence.
she smiles because tonight, their love can be something they both want and because elysia always has to try to make something more dazzling before it all falls away.
elysia doesn't know if this is right, but she can't deny it. it has always been difficult for her to deny him, and even if a part of thinks she's being cruel to yves for choosing this, she can't stop herself. ]
Okay. [ her words are soft but sure. ] I'd love to be an ordinary girl whose only thoughts are to love you. Tonight, I'll know nothing but you.
[ even if tomorrow, they will love everyone like they always have. ]
or would it be a worst fate to never try? not even a little bit? yves thinks that he knows the answer, because he is someone who values love so dearly. if the feeling is there, wouldn't it be such a cruel thing to kill it before it has a chance to bloom in all its radiance? so he smiles into the kiss, and he lowers elysia down so he can properly hug her and laugh brightly as he presses his face into her hair.
adoration, clear and true. a hold so tight that it screams another night cannot go by where I don't get to be in love with you. ]
You'll make me into a greedy person, Ellie. Even then... I can't imagine wanting anything more than your affection and attention.
[ once, they'd talked about how their words to each other could sound so much like sweet nothings, even knowing that they meant every single word.
and yet tonight it still feels different. each statement feels so vivid and alive, something they'd only share with each other ]
Let's spend some time in the garden. I want to pick you a bouquet, and then we can catch the fireworks where the holidays are. Let's dance under the shifting lights, and I'll be yours until dawn breaks.
[ it has always been love that has moved her. love is what has made her stay, but it is also what has made her leave. for however bright and radiant it is, for however precious it is, elysia has always gravitated towards it because it's one of the most human emotions. she would rather grasp it and lose than to have never known it, but every time, she has always wished it could last longer.
when he hugs her, she pulls him as close as she can to her, as if holding onto him would make this night stretch as far as stars travel across the sky. ]
You could stand to be greedier. You should want for more. You have my love.
[ if what he wants is love more than anything else, he should get his fill of it. when she told him she didn't know how anyone couldn't return his love with all her sincerity, that may have been the first sign.
she pulls back to stare at him, her gaze searching, as if trying to memorize his every feature as something new, as if trying preserve the sight of him like a flower that will never wilt. she places the lightest of kisses on his cheek, over his mask. ]
You always have such romantic plans in your pocket, don't you? [ playful, soft. ] Until dawn, there's only us.
[ can he really stand to be greedy? he's already a person who has a heart that wants and wants and wants—he'd want forever with her, but the words never make it past his lips. he wouldn't dare risk anything to make elysia feel sad or guilty.
but... there is the way that his heartbeat ticks up when she kisses over his mask, and he wears his surprise for a moment, before all his fondness is made clear. he breathes in and then takes a moment to look over her head, making sure that no one else has wandered into the garden at this hour.
he did make a promise, about the day that she might feel that he understood her.... ]
... you should ask whatever you'd like of me, too.
If you'd like to see... [ if she wants to bear witness to the one thing that he's always kept to himself ] I'd let you.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
she knows more the shape of his love now and the ways he loves her. every letter she's received is kept in pristine condition, every word a treasure kept close to her heart, every instance of understanding somehow fragile yet unbreakable in her memory. ]
I know. [ she's not abashed to say or acknowledge it. ] Are you still afraid? Have the others lessened that for you?
no subject
... yes and no.
I don't think I'm afraid of rejection anymore. I don't think anyone will get my hopes up about loving me and then cast me aside... not here, at least.
[ it's not like the island where they are all so superstitious and terrified every single day of their lives. ]
... but I do wonder if I'm not meant to be loved the way I want to be loved, since it keeps happening.
And I wonder... if I need to start becoming okay with that.
no subject
[ they're not influenced by the isolated culture the island seemed to cultivate.
she's contemplative as she listens, looking at the flowers visible in the distance. ]
The kind of love you want... the way you want to be loved... it's the kind of love you'd face the whole world for. Is that right?
no subject
I want to be in love with someone who is in love with me.
[ he's learned well enough now that he's loved. people are kind to him, but they always follow it up with 'you are such a wonderful friend' and so he knows, still, it's not what he's looking for.
he cherishes it. he loves it.
but dear god he wants to be in love so badly ]
no subject
it's the simplicity that makes her say: ]
And if I said, I think you understand me?
no subject
he does remember this conversation. and so his heart does skip a bit, treacherously and traitorously. still, he just smiles at her and tilts his head ]
Do you want to be in love with me, Ellie?
[ for as much as love is a choice. ]
no subject
[ she mirrors the head tilt. ]
I don't know how much of it was a choice, so much as it was natural. You listened to what I said, and my feelings responded.
When I told you what I wanted, I was honest.
[ it's as simple and as difficult as that. ]
no subject
... what about Adolphe?
[ the way that this is mutual love confessions but yves is like. still gotta think about my bro ]
no subject
Hmm... I know what you'd prefer. If it's you, I won't deflect. Sometimes, he says things that make me think he could understand me.
And then the next thing out his mouth is how he thinks he can't. Because he thinks he hasn't earned it yet.
That's how you two can be alike.
[1/2]
He really just needs to get out of his own way. He's so annoying and needs to admit I'm right about everything.
[ factually untrue, ]
no subject
... someone told me it's possible to love more than one person at once. I think... that's true, because I do. I think it's also possible to be in love with more than one person at once.
[ . . . ]
I think the people I'm in love with right now might make that complicated.
[ because... he wants adolphe to be with elysia, because he thinks they could make each other happy—but that depends on adolphe, just as much as it depends on elysia. yves can't force things, even if he can be gentle in her encouragement and sincere with his observations.
and... well. there is claude.
they make it to the flowers, and yves turns to face elysia. he takes both of her hands in his and looks thoughtful. he didn't think he'd have to think this hard about falling in love. or maybe it's not the falling that was the hard part, but what comes after. the landing. ]
... but I do love you, Ellie. Every piece. I don't want to shy away from that, just because other things are complicated. If it's about the feeling, then I think you deserve to hear that from me. I want you to hear it from me.
To know that someone's seen all the parts of you that you care to share—and I love you.
no subject
[ it's said with fondness because there's more than adolphe getting in his own way that's the problem.
however, with elysia, the key to understanding her is understanding how she loves and how much she wants to be just like what she loves. to call her human and acknowledge her humanity despite how she's never been a human, to call her an ordinary girl just like everyone else despite how abnormal she can be.
yves took such a fatal line away from adolphe.
but it is what comes after that is the hard part. there's no denying the warmth she feels in his presence or from his words. how couldn't she know love when she feels it? ]
I love you, too, Yves. I am in love with you. [ because he deserves to hear that, too, if it's just about the feeling, she can say it easily enough. that's not the difficult part.
she looks at their joined hands, smiling as she always does. ] I don't know if there was any other outcome to your earnestness. I don't think I could have stopped myself from loving you even if I wanted to. I don't mind that you're in love with others. I can guess who they are.
[ she accepts that as much as she accepts loving him, as readily as she accepts yves loving her. his heart seeks and seeks.
she intertwines her fingers with his in spite of the words she chooses next. ]
I know I can love more than one person, but Yves, if you had to choose, I want you to choose the other people you love.
no subject
understanding is an interesting thing, though. for yves, who knew elysia for one week and came to the conclusion that they were cut from the same cloth. there are things about her that feel so faraway—to think that she is someone who is meant to destroy humanity, and yet. and yet to meet her, and love her nonetheless.
still, it warms his heart to be told that she's in love with him too. it is what he wanted to hear for so long, and... it makes him feel just a little bit like he's floating. for something that he chased after for so long, he was worried. would it not be enough? would it never fully measure up to what he was hoping for?
he didn't need to be worried. his heart aches in the best way, and it finally feels like a pain that's a little worthwhile.
and yet— ]
Ahaha... why did I have a feeling you'd say that?
[ he accepts their intertwined fingers, but he also uses their hold to pull her close to him. as if they've been apart for far too long already. ]
Tell me why, Ellie. [ soft, not all that demanding ] Why would you not want me to choose you when I've already been in love with you for so long?
no subject
she lets herself be pulled to him. there's no resistance to the closeness, and there's little resistance to his question, but she looks at him for a long moment, as if she's choosing which words she wants to say first and wanting to treasure this moment for one second more. she etches his warmth, his expression, his presence into her heart. ]
Because as happy as loving and being loved by you makes me, I think you'll be happier with the other people you love. You wrote to me that you were planning to go with Adolphe after all of this was over, right? And you said you were asking about going somewhere else, too, weren't you? Maybe to where the other person you love lives?
[ she is thinking about claude and the role she had in taking away claude. ]
When I think about that kind of future for you, it leaves me satisfied.
[ she does think it's a good thing his heart is so open as to have fallen in love with others. she's never been possessive or jealous. she can be greedy and want more, but the way her greed manifests shifts and changes with every new desire she has. ]
Once, I told you I don't think anyone should fall in love me, and although I'm selfish enough to cherish the love you hold for me now, the reason I said that still remains.
[ she takes a small breath, as if to steady herself. this is the difficult part for her, the part where she wonders if maybe she should have kept silent about her feelings.
but she doesn't like leaving things unsaid when she can help it, and it's difficult for her to not answer yves when he asks for something. ]
I can't promise you any more time than the time we have here.
no subject
that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt to know. that doesn't mean it doesn't cause him an ache deep in his chest to hear it. ]
... you have somewhere else to be, right? [ if he remembers correctly. ] Is it somewhere you don't want to be followed?
[ is there no chance of meeting again after this, even if it's possible to connect the different worlds? he finds himself wondering, because even now, he seeks love. always, he seeks love.
it is hard to have what he wants given to him and then immediately slipping out of his fingers before he can get a true grasp on it ]
no subject
she takes another breath. it's moments like this when she's her most fragile, when she knows her decisions can lead to something being broken. ]
I'm sorry. All I can seem to do is make cruel choices lately. It's not a matter of want... if it was about what I wanted....
[ that'd be another answer. ]
There will be nowhere to follow me to once I've finished what I set out to do.
[ nor could she follow him, even if she wanted. ]
no subject
he tucks her hair behind her ear before letting his hand cup her cheek gently. with so much affection and tenderness, he leans down to press a kiss to the opposite cheek, as if that'll do anything at all to help. maybe it won't make anything better, but he hopes it won't make anything worse. ]
... I know that what you want is to always help people. To do your best with the difficult situation you're handed.
[ and that's something he could never condemn her for. ]
It's alright to admit it's frightening. That you don't want things to end.
I wish you didn't have to.
no subject
[ she will make it as glorious an ending as she possibly can, for herself and for her friends. she knows what she has to do there. all she ever does is try to grant a future to others.
but here in heaven, where she is more out of her element, where she is among more people to love and leave, more people to say goodbye to, it makes her waver, especially during this week. he cups her cheek, and he kisses her other cheek, and her emotions make her begin to glow a little, crystals forming behind her among the flowers. she tries to keep them at bay, but it's difficult when there is loss of some control. ]
If I'm honest, I don't want to have to say goodbye to you. I don't want to love you and have to leave you.
[ ... ]
I guess there's a part of me that wants to be selfish.
no subject
Even if I understand the choices that you make, I will always want to choose you.
[ no matter how selfish it makes him. there is a version of events where elysia is the only person that he's in love with, and he follows her even if there's nowhere else to be after, because it doesn't matter to him that there will be no world to exist in after because she is already his entire world. it is so close that there are whispers of it in his ear, telling him that for the love he craves what other option is there in this—such maddeningly simple, adoring minutes.
he can only just barely resist it.
instead, he'll lean down to press his lips to hers as if to capture some of that selfishness himself. ]
Thank you for showing me your honesty and your selfishness.
no subject
it's an emotional breaking point, and when a herrscher's emotions overflow, sometimes, their transformation and powers come unbidden. elysia's hair grows impossibly longer and her eyes, before they shut, turn violet. ]
Don't reward me for my selfishness. Do you want to see me cry?
[ she's joking about crying, but her emotions are welling up within her. there's an incredible warmth that continues to bloom, and there is a part of her that knows she has another choice. in another version of events, she could choose to leave a world she has died for time and time again. she does not need to be the one to destroy the elysian realm because there are others who can stop the threat that's corrupted it. her devotion to save the world she loves could turn into a devotion to save someone else.
but she made a promise she will keep, and she doesn't know how to let go of a love she's held for thousands of years.
even if tonight, she wants to be more selfish than she's ever been. ]
If I could think only of myself, I would choose you.
[ she floats up to kiss him again because at least for tonight, she can choose him. ]
no subject
ah, he'd burn the world for her. but he can't, because that is the world she loves.
he lets his arms loop around her and then picks her up to spin her, lifting her just a bit and then lowering her just enough for their mouths to catch again. ]
If you were to cry, I'd kiss each of your tears away. [ a promise ] But I'd always love to see your smiles instead.
So tonight, let's be selfish. [ as if it hasn't already been insane, but,, ] Let's only think of ourselves for one night, and choose each other even if tomorrow we can't anymore.
[ even if tomorrow, they'll both go back to being in love with other people and the world and every soul they could possibly stand to save.
but tonight, they can love each other without fear of repercussions ]
Let's go on a date, Ellie. One where you're just a girl, and I'm just the boy who's so in love with you.
no subject
Your smiles are the ones that make me happiest.
[ even if there is an aching pang that knows she won't get to see them again someday, a day that will all be too soon in the span of her long, long existence.
she smiles because tonight, their love can be something they both want and because elysia always has to try to make something more dazzling before it all falls away.
elysia doesn't know if this is right, but she can't deny it. it has always been difficult for her to deny him, and even if a part of thinks she's being cruel to yves for choosing this, she can't stop herself. ]
Okay. [ her words are soft but sure. ] I'd love to be an ordinary girl whose only thoughts are to love you. Tonight, I'll know nothing but you.
[ even if tomorrow, they will love everyone like they always have. ]
Whatever you want, I'll give it to you.
no subject
or would it be a worst fate to never try? not even a little bit? yves thinks that he knows the answer, because he is someone who values love so dearly. if the feeling is there, wouldn't it be such a cruel thing to kill it before it has a chance to bloom in all its radiance? so he smiles into the kiss, and he lowers elysia down so he can properly hug her and laugh brightly as he presses his face into her hair.
adoration, clear and true. a hold so tight that it screams another night cannot go by where I don't get to be in love with you. ]
You'll make me into a greedy person, Ellie. Even then... I can't imagine wanting anything more than your affection and attention.
[ once, they'd talked about how their words to each other could sound so much like sweet nothings, even knowing that they meant every single word.
and yet tonight it still feels different. each statement feels so vivid and alive, something they'd only share with each other ]
Let's spend some time in the garden. I want to pick you a bouquet, and then we can catch the fireworks where the holidays are. Let's dance under the shifting lights, and I'll be yours until dawn breaks.
no subject
when he hugs her, she pulls him as close as she can to her, as if holding onto him would make this night stretch as far as stars travel across the sky. ]
You could stand to be greedier. You should want for more. You have my love.
[ if what he wants is love more than anything else, he should get his fill of it. when she told him she didn't know how anyone couldn't return his love with all her sincerity, that may have been the first sign.
she pulls back to stare at him, her gaze searching, as if trying to memorize his every feature as something new, as if trying preserve the sight of him like a flower that will never wilt. she places the lightest of kisses on his cheek, over his mask. ]
You always have such romantic plans in your pocket, don't you? [ playful, soft. ] Until dawn, there's only us.
no subject
but... there is the way that his heartbeat ticks up when she kisses over his mask, and he wears his surprise for a moment, before all his fondness is made clear. he breathes in and then takes a moment to look over her head, making sure that no one else has wandered into the garden at this hour.
he did make a promise, about the day that she might feel that he understood her.... ]
... you should ask whatever you'd like of me, too.
If you'd like to see... [ if she wants to bear witness to the one thing that he's always kept to himself ] I'd let you.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)