hearthwarming | reverie 🦋 inbox

[ it's not a long walk back to the dormitories, but it's a difficult one. they're all tired, all injured and aching both in body and soul, so the way is slow, but soon enough they've made it back to tighnari's cozy, comfortable room. books and green surround them, and tighnari takes a deep breath. there's no way to ever feel safe in reverie, but.. here, in this room, with these two is the safest he possibly can feel.

carefully, he leads ori toward the bed to help her sit. ]

In my cabinet, but we should get cleaned up a little, first.

[ he looks to ori, before he's carefully tugging at her blouse; if she's not comfortable stripping here in front of them both, he'll understand, but there's a deep, deep trust that runs between them here, and a quiet, gentle intimacy. to make it easier for her to decide, tighnari gingerly tugs his shirt off first, tossing the bloodied prison stripes to the floor.

ori will have seen all of this before, but beneath it tighnari is lean and fit, with two parallel scars visible on his ribs, as well as a long lichtenberg scar that climbs up his back, spreading in webs over his left shoulder and arm, as well as down his chest. newer, however, are the gouges across his stomach from the dragon, as well as a great deal of bruising, especially around his right shoulder, where it was dislocated. blood and grime cake his skin. he can't help but imagine they're not much better off. ]

There's a large basin in the bathroom that you could fill with warm water, if you like. And some hand towels.

[ he'll busy himself fetching supplies from the cabinet - gauze, wound cleanser, and ointments, as well as a suturing kit, just in case. ]

[ Though Aki is tempted to forego Tighnari's instructions and go for the supplies in the closet anyway, he relents after a moment of hesitation before pulling off his jacket and beginning to unbutton his shirt. His gaze flickers over to Tighnari and Ori only for a moment; scars are commonplace in his line of work, though Tighnari's lichtenberg scar is a unique case. It must have a story to go with it, but this is not the time, nor the place.

He shrugs his shirt off his shoulders, revealing an impressive set of scars of his own - once again, it comes with the territory of begin a devil hunter. He has plenty of cuts and bruises from the glass he fell on, not to mention from his own beatdown from the dragon.

Why did he have to survive, when --

But there's no point in thinking like that right now. Sighing, Aki nods and heads to the bathroom to fill the basin with water and grab the towels as instructed. ]

[ They all three, it seems, bear their fair (?) share of scars. Wounds both new and old. Ori is helpless against that deep trust, that gentle intimacy as Tighnari tugs on her blouse. Aki removes his shirt, but she's slower to unbutton hers; her body is simply moving more slowly overall. But when she's finally shrugging her own top off, it seems that her injuries seem to almost mirror Tighnari's, and yet... if one looks closely enough, her skin is marked by similar wounds that had long since healed over and faded, from the last time she'd nearly lost her life to a dragon.

But it hurts, all the more, to see Tighnari and Aki with these wounds. And while Aki is able to stave off those thoughts, Ori is helpless against them. It's not fair. It should have been her— just her. She's the one who's been through this before, and she's the one... who's lived for so long, already. It should have been just her...

While Aki moves into the bathroom to retrieve the items they need to get themselves cleaned up, Ori can't help but reach out and hold onto one of Tighnari's hands with both of her own as she leans over, bowing her head as tears spill silently from her eyes once more and quietly, oh so quietly, she mutters: ]

I'm... I'm sorry I couldn't protect you... Aki, too...

Edited 2023-01-24 07:43 (UTC)

[ given aki's line of work, and ori's adventuring, he's not so surprised to see their scars, and honestly, most of his own are, in fact, rather recent, save for his top surgery scars. the lichtenberg scar he received not long before arriving here, and most every other scar.. he has received here. ori will likely remember the scar left behind from where he had been impaled during the elevator game, when she had pulled the rebar from his lung with tears in her eyes.

and now.. she's crying again, and tighnari's heart seizes up. he feels so completely helpless, so powerless before her and aki's grief. if only there was something he could do. if only he could heal hearts and souls the same way he does bodies. ]

Hush. None of that. I couldn't protect you, either. It was none of our faults.

[ he says, gently, grasping her hands while he looks over her wounds. one of the gashes looks deep enough to require sutures.. he's thankful he has his kit with him. one never knows when they'll need it, in this place. aki looked caked with blood as well, tighnari is sure that he'll also need them, once the blood is all cleared away.

speaking of which, when aki returns with the basin tighnari smiles, tired but grateful, and he slips his hands free of hers to soak one of the small towels, wringing it before he begins to clean her, starting with one of her arms, moving across her shoulders, and down the other arm. ]

Aki will tell you the same, I'm sure.

[ He tries not to eavesdrop. It’s a hard habit to break, when overhearing the right piece of information might make or break a case, but in this case, he doesn’t want to overhear something not meant for him. Something intimately shared between Tighnari and Ori. The nature of their relationship is apparent to him now, and while he intends to stick around to make sure that they’re both taken care of, he won’t overstay his welcome. They deserve a chance to heal together in private.

He sets down the basin so Tighnari can soak the towel, before at last stepping back and sitting on the corner of the bed, watching their profiles. If Ori hadn’t said it first, he would have inevitably caved to apologizing, but then again, how can he not see the blame falling on his shoulders? They went in first. He failed to protect them, and he was the only one who walked away alive.

Don’t die on me, Aki.

At least he kept that promise. ]

…We were outmatched. There’s nothing else we could have done.

[ Not that that makes him feel any better, but they must pick up the pieces, all the same.

Taking one of the towels he brought over, Aki dips it into the basin before wringing it out and beginning to wipe the grime and blood from his forearm. He’s treated his own wounds plenty of time before; he doesn’t even think twice before beginning to do so now. ]

[ Ori falls silent as she soaks in their words, as Tighnari gets to work to clean her wounds. She so rarely finds herself on the receiving end of such medical treatment, these days, but... She's glad it's Tighnari here with her. Ori has always been the kind of person to trust easily, but a deep sort of trust is hard-earned... She would naturally consider Tighnari to be amongst those whom she trusts the most, here.

Then her gaze slides, sidelong, to look at Aki as he begins to tend to his own wounds. She remembers how much he wanted to intervene when they first came upon the dragon. How much he wanted to try to do something, anything. And how afraid she had been to let him... Of course, the circumstances left them with little choice in how things played out, but... In the end, she's glad Aki was there, too.

Briefly, she wonders if she should mention why she had been so hesitant to confront the dragon. But... They're tending to their wounds, already reeling from the aftermath of it all. So instead, she inwardly promises to herself - and to them - that when she's rested, she will do everything she can to heal whatever hurt yet lingers.

For now, though... She glances back at Tighnari, offering him the best grateful, albeit bittersweet smile she can offer at the moment. She'll do her best to be a good patient now. And while she's already said this before, when they'd found her, it bears repeating: ]

I'm glad you two are here.

[ tighnari works fastidiously, making sure ori's skin and wounds are cleaned well, blood and grime all cleared away. a good shower would be better, but.. it's the best that can be done, at the moment. he smiles in return, weary but gentle. ]

I'm glad, too.

[ whatever they're having to face, at least they are able to face it together, to have others to lean on, rely on when things get difficult. tighnari can often be a loner, but he understands the value of companionship, especially in such dire conditions; the fact that they have one another to trust and hold to is quite a privilege, he thinks. he's glad to have met them both.

aki's movement catches his attention. ]

I'll be happy to see to you when I'm finished with Ori.

[ he shouldn't have to tend to himself, after all they've been through. it doesn't seem right. doesn't seem fair. if only he had more hands to go around. for now, however, he's opening his suture kit. most of ori's wounds seem shallow enough, after being healed by their subsequent repulsion from the game, but there's one he thinks needs a little extra help. he'll start by tugging on a pair of gloves, and gently applying some anaesthetic cream. ]

[ Whether it's fair or right doesn't enter into the equation for Aki - he can take care of his own wounds and safe Tighnari some trouble, so he will. It's only some cleanup for now, anyway, washing away dried blood from his various cuts and scrapes. Some are deeper, though, or in harder-to-reach places, and those will need sutures. He can at least...hold himself back from attempting those.

Better he doesn't tear anything further open while trying to treat another wound.

He lifts the bloodied rag to his face, where he dabs at a cut around his eye. ]

I don't want to trouble you more than necessary. The sooner you're resting, the better.

[ And he'll feel much better once they're both seen to and taken care of. God, how is he going to bring himself to leave? Maybe he can justify sleeping in the Yatagarasu common room tonight, just in case...

If anything happens, he'd like to be close at hand. He won't make the same mistake twice. ]

[ It isn't Ori's place to say what is or isn't too much trouble for Tighnari, but knowing how he is, and knowing what she would do as a healer in her own right... It would be better for Aki to stay here tonight in some capacity, for the three of them to continue looking out for one another in the aftermath of this all... And this way, when she feels more of her strength return to her after a night's rest, she can give healing another go with both of them within arm's reach.

She simply casts another glance in Aki's direction while she receives treatment from Tighnari, and simply offers: ]

You have to rest, too, Aki.

[ of course he's quick to shake his head. ]

It's no trouble at all. If I'm honest.. it makes me feel better.

[ which is something that he thinks both aki and ori will understand. they're all natural caretakers, in a sense, it brings them comfort to comfort one another, to help in any way they can. he's back to ori, the sutures now prepared, and his voice is gentle. ]

The cream should help, but you might feel a pinprick now and then. Are you ready?

[ Ori does understand, and a not-small part of her is relieved for it. But for now, she also understands that it's her turn to be taken care of. The gentleness of Tighnari's voice does wonders to soothe her in this moment, and she offers her best attempt at a reassuring smile in turn. ]

I'm ready.

[ And when he gets to work, her gaze falls to his hands to watch him. ]

[ a nod.

and so he sets to work. tighnari's hands are gentle as he sees to ori's sutures, his work quick and very neat, and soon enough he's cleaning the thin line of stitches left behind. after that, the rest of her wounds are simple enough to apply ointment to, and wrap in clean bandages. he'll give them both some ibuprofen, and swallow some himself, before seeing to aki.

his work here is even quicker, given the fact that aki has already finished cleaning himself up by the time tighnari has washed his hands, switched gloves, and readied the sutures. still, it's the same song and dance. numbing cream, swift, tidy stitches, and some clean bandaging wrapped snugly, but not tightly. tighnari works with the efficiency of a trained medic, though his touch against aki's warm skin is gentle nevertheless.

then there's himself to see to, at last, but of course it is simply more of the same. tighnari cleans his wounds and sutures his own abdomen without so much as a flinch.

of course, there's the matter of their clothes.. he has clean sets for himself, and ori could easily fit in his clothing, but aki is another matter - tighnari is pondering what his answer to that will be, when he notices that aki seems to be preparing to leave. something hot flashes in tighnari's breast, a soft, desperate longing, an unwillingness to let go, and after exchanging looks with ori, he reaches to snag aki's hand. at first he simply holds it firmly, but soon his fingers weave through aki's, squeezing. ]

Where do you think you're going?

[ Despite the quiet admonishment he receives from Ori, Aki is nothing without something to do with his hands, though he at least stops short of trying to stitch his own wounds before Tighnari is done tending to her. A protest sits on his tongue even as Aki approaches with the sutures, but he knows he'd be met with resistance if he tried to insist that he's fine. Some of these cuts are quite nasty, and they should be properly treated...but he hates to ask more of a man who just died earlier today, when he was powerless to stop it.

Another reminder of why he shouldn't overstay his welcome, although he does intend to stay nearby, just...just in case. He would keep vigil all night watching over them if he could, but Tighnari and Ori...they need time together to convalesce and heal, and he'll only get in the way of that, though the thought makes his chest far tighter then he would have expected.

That's why it comes as a great surprise when Tighnari reaches out to take his hand before he can so much as voice his intention to go crash on the common room couch, and it shows in his features, the way his brows lift and expression softens, vulnerable as a wounded animal offered a kind hand. ]

I - [ He glances between Ori and Tighnari, as a heartbeat or two goes by. ] I thought...I would sleep on the couch in your common room tonight. I'd like to stay nearby, if that's alright.

[ But would they rather he go back to Basilisk, then he'll respect their choice, too. ]

That isn't what I meant.

[ and tighnari's eyes say as much.

something in his chest twists. how can he explain that he can't bear the thought of letting either of them out of his sights tonight, that he feels that they are stronger together. aki staying in the common room is good and all, but it isn't nearly as close as tighnari wants him, after all they have been through these last few days, all the pain and loss that has forged them together.

for a moment tighnari simply looks to him, before he glances toward ori, leaning to press a kiss to her brow, and standing, all the better to take aki's other hand in his own as well, pulling him away from the door. ]

Stay here. With us.

[ it's not a request. ]

[ Their meaning is clear, and if the circumstances were any different, Aki would still have a hard time believing it. It's not the first time he's gone through something like this, however, where the pressure of shared trauma and a support system forges bonds in a roaring fire. It wouldn't be an exaggeration at all to say that the two of them are the most important people to him in the entire prison.

It made their deaths hurt all the more, and it makes him all the more eager to nurse the wounds on his heart, on all their hearts. He isn't great at offering comforting words, but if he can offer reassurance with his actions, instead -

Then he'll stay. Of course he will. It wasn't even really a question, once he realized what Tighnari meant. It's not as though he seems willing to brook an argument, anyway. ]

...Okay.

[ He offers with a nod, letting his eyes fall shut against the threatening swell of tears, but this time, they aren't caused by pain and suffering. ]

Then we should all get some rest.

[ He reaches up to snag the hairtie from his short ponytail, hair falling slack around his face. ]

[ There's a longing in Ori's eyes that she can't quite explain as Tighnari presses a kiss to her brow, and then voices what she knows they both feel. Aki needs to stay here. After everything the three of them have been through the last few days... Both of their nightmares, and then that horrible game... It doesn't feel right for them to part ways now. There's no question in her heart that she wants to remain close to Tighnari... But she can't bring herself to let Aki go, either.

The relief is immediate and visible on Ori's face when the latter finally relents, and her lips draw into a thin line when he closes his eyes... He's about to cry again, isn't he...? If she hadn't been sure about wanting him close to her and Tighnari before, she feels certain now. Unquestionably so.

In the moments that follow, the three of them find themselves in a constellation of each other's bodies, pulling Tighnari's blankets and pillows off of his bed to find some semblance of comfort on the floor... Although, as they'll soon realize, there is no greater comfort for them tonight than that which they find in each other's arms, in their shared presence.

Exhausted down to her very bones, Ori blessedly doesn't dream. And when she finally wakes many, many hours later, she feels that more of her strength has returned to her. Her own eyes sting with tears as she recalls everyone who had seen to her. Sprezzatura, with a Lovers card, her teammates... and the two men beside her. Gently, she draws them both closer against her sides and dips her head to press a kiss to the base of Tighnari's ear, and then turns to softly nuzzle at the top of Aki's head, too.

A healing warmth and light washes over the three of them as she casts one of her most powerful healing spells on them, causing little flickers of glowing, arcane light to begin floating in the air around them, like fluttering flower petals. ]

[ getting to sleep isn't easy.

even after tighnari has piled all of his blankets and pillows into a comfortable little nest on the floor, and turned down the lamplight, it still takes him some time to find rest. together they collapse into the blankets, and it isn't as comfortable as the bed, but their nearness to one another makes up for it, he thinks; he couldn't imagine being parted from them tonight, after all they've gone through. in fact, tighnari doesn't even turn the lamp entirely off - just very low, dim, but enough light that he can make out the shapes of their bodies, just in case. he needs to be able to see them, even if his darkvision is quite impeccable. he's not taking any chances.

tighnari presses up to ori's side, one arm behind her shoulder, his fingers woven in aki's dark hair. the other arm drapes over her hips, his hand still wound in aki's, holding firmly, though his grasp slackens as sleep begins to claim him. with his chin resting atop ori's head, he at last finds sleep.

it's her movement that rouses him at first. tighnari twitches, grunts, his ears flicking as he shifts against the blankets, a soreness he had grown used to suddenly.. bleeding away. his wounds knit together, dark bruises fading to a pale, healing yellow, even the deep ache in his bones subsides. he recognizes the feel of ori's healing, having been on the receiving end of it plenty of times. tighnari hums, his eyes flickering open, a smile curving his mouth as he presses a kiss to her hair, glancing toward aki, who he can see over her head. ]

.. good morning.

[ Like Tighnari, it takes Aki no small measure of time to fall asleep. Even after the two of them beckon him to join them in their nest of blankets, and regardless of how his heart tugs him towards them, the pull night irresistible now that avenue has been opened to him. He still can't shake the feeling that perhaps he shouldn't be here, that he's intruding on something that wasn't meant for him, after how he failed to protect them. He doesn't deserve this, and every time his eyes start to fall closed, he swears it's about to happen again - the dragon's attack, taking them both out in one fell swoop, even when their bodies are so real and warm and alive next to him.

A devil hunter never finds sleep easy, though the fleeting thought he finds once he does drift off is that there's no better place he could be to protect them than here.

His sleep is mercifully dreamless, at least, even if morning comes far too soon. He is typically one to rise early, but after the events of the previous few days, who could blame any of them for wanting to sleep in? For not wanting to leave this little nest of warmth that they've created? Why wake at all, when the idyllic haze of a new morning is so alluring?

The scent of them is all around him, Tighnari's hand warm in his, the other tangled gently in Ori's brown locks. The healing spell, though he doesn't quite recognize it for what it is at first, makes him no more inclined to open his eyes, given how it softens the edges of his injuries and eases his aches and pains. What he wouldn't give, to make this moment last just a little bit longer, to just make this perfect space infinite -

But Tighnari's voice pulls him from his reverie, and at last he lifts his eyelids, the other two haloed in the morning light in a way that arrests his heart. ]

...Morning.

[ Perhaps waking wasn't such a bad idea after all.

His gaze flickers from Tighnari to Ori, his brows drawing together. ]

Your magic...?

[ The path to slumber surely hadn't been easy for any of them, with each of their minds being plagued by their own thoughts... But Ori wants nothing more, now, than to ease the remaining aches of their wounds, to lift their spirits from their shared state of exhaustion.

With the two awake, she casts each of them a soft, warm smile. Though the morning has come, and her magic will certainly help waking up and going about their days easier... She finds herself wanting to stay like this with them for as long as possible.

The first spell fades, but Ori soon casts another. Carefully, she untangles her arms from their bodies, but only so that she can close them over where Aki and Tighnari's hands are entwined with one another across her hips. Ori gently pulls their joined hands up to her lips; she presses a tender kiss to Tighnari's knuckles, and then another to Aki's, a tiefling hand on each to alleviate their exhaustion with another restorative spell. ]

Good morning, you two...

[ Her voice is tired, and raspy, but bears no small measure of affection. ]

The magic will take care of the wounds and the fatigue, but... I want to stay like this for a bit, if that's alright. I think we deserve to take some time to recover after the last few days...

[ her healing capabilities certainly are handy, that's for sure. tighnari has always been interested in attempting to expand his dendro abilities toward restoration, but meeting ori has certainly sped up that process and desire. to be able to use his own power to help those he cares for, and those in need.. well, it sounds like a dream.

nevertheless, the warmth of her spellwork washes over him; tighnari recognizes this prickling sensation, and the sense of alertness that comes with it. where he had felt heavy and exhausted before, he now feels refreshed, awake, as if he's had the best sleep of his life. ]

Don't forget yourself.

[ he reminds, gently, yet in a voice that of course will brook no argument. he won't have her seeing to them without also seeing to herself. ]

But I agree. I think we deserve a little rest.

[ and more importantly.. time together. tighnari likes to keep moving, likes to keep busy, to see to his work, but sometimes there are more important things, more important people. after their harrowing experiences together, they need to heal - not physically, now that ori has seen to their wounds, but emotionally. psychologically. and they will heal best together, he thinks.

but he finds that they are at a crossroads. there is a choice to be made, here, a path to be taken, and tighnari has good intuition, he can read the room, he can read them, and the tension between the three of them that is not.. unpleasant. a magnetism that draws them together. he'd felt it the night ori came to his door, and he feels it now, in this moment. tighnari's eyelids lower, his ears folding back as he presses a soft kiss to ori's hair, before he's looking up, into aki's face, his free hand drawing along aki's jaw, thumb gliding along his lower lip. ]

Stay with us.

[ Stay with us.

It's not unlike what Tighnari told him the night before, when he had made it clear they wanted him to stay, and were it not for the confidence with which he had been invited, he likely still would have left. That confidence is the same now, and it's there in the way Ori presses gentle kisses to their hands, and the way Tighnari thumbs over his lower lip. The invitation is evident, should he decide to accept it.

Yet this isn't just an invitation to spend the morning with them, healing and recovering, spending time in one another's company. The events of the last few days have drawn Ori and Tighnari into his orbit in a way he never could have expected, and their struggles had tempered their relationships - that they hadn't shattered and broken entirely is nothing short of a miracle. Hell, that they're here, alive, is a miracle in and of itself. His heart is swollen with affection and neglected need, an unforgiving demand to remind it that they are all alive, that he is alive.

It should perhaps be unbelievable, or maybe he should chalk it up to emotions running high after such a series of intense encounters, and yet...he can't bring himself to do that. Not after tasting their sweet mouths under the mistletoe, not after they pulled him from his nightmares, not after he held their broken bodies and wept.

Well, he's never been one to hesitate, and even this moment that has passed seems to have lasted for an eternity, the pad of Tighnari's thumb still against his lip, and Aki inhales a quiet shuddering breath. The hand still woven in Ori's hair, lifts to her face, thumb cresting over her cheekbone, while the other slips from their joined hands to do the same to Tighnari, fingers gliding along his jaw.

He doesn't need to answer with his words, not when he dips his head to brush a grazing ghost of a kiss to the knuckle of Tighnari's thumb.

He will stay. ]

[ Ori is no stranger to the way that these fateful, harrowing encounters can draw one's need for affection and feeling to the surface from even the darkest depths of the heart... There is always a desire that lingers after such encounters, a longing to feel alive when someone has been so very close to the brink of death or - in the cases of herself and Tighnari - did die. And a wish, too, to convey in no uncertain terms that they've lived and survived and they are here, whole and safe. Ori has felt this before, and she feels the pull again now with the three of them entangled as they are. She wants to hear their voices, look into their eyes, and to feel them pulsing and alive against her body, beneath her touch.

Tighnari's gentle reminder pulls her lips into a smile as she closes her eyes, casting the selfsame spell on her own body as Tighnari presses a kiss to her hair and then reaches for Aki, asking him to stay, relieving her of the worry that she'd been the only one who wanted this. She feels her own exhaustion melt away - and how could it not, when she feels Aki's hand, warm and wanting against her cheek? His answer is clear, and she wouldn't dare squander this rare gift of giving herself to two incredible men. Not when, at any given moment, they could be torn asunder by an unknowable power, an insurmountable barrier between the worlds they've come from.

Slowly, carefully, Ori sits up so that her horns don't get in the way as she turns to face them both. Though the movement breaks the various constellations of people touching other people's faces, at least now Tighnari and Aki can lay closer together.

With another warm smile, she leans back in to first cup Tighnari's cheek and press a loving kiss to his lips. The feeling of his lips against hers has become familiar by now, a precious gift each and every time they've kissed. Then, she angles her head and reaches for Aki's cheek, too. Her gaze falls to his lips as she remembers how surprisingly tender he had been when they'd kissed under the mistletoe, and how he's since managed to surprise her again and again by how caring and kind he is beneath a seemingly stoic demeanor. She knows, on that alone, that she and Tighnari are in goods hands; and that they will take care of him, in turn.

Which leaves little question as to what she does next. Her fingers trail down to trace the line of Aki's jaw until they're beneath his chin as she captures his lips in a kiss, too. ]

[ it's all falling into place so easily, so perfectly, so naturally that tighnari does not even question it.

years ago, perhaps, tighnari might have balked at the idea that he might be in a place like this, his heart caught between two people. he had never put too much thought into finding a mate to begin with, but in the rare moment when he would visualize his future, he imagined only one partner, one mate beside him. his kind mates rather strictly for life. but tighnari has always been a bit unorthodox, a bit different - that he would go against the grain in this way is no real surprise. it's simple. his heart aches for them both, and so he shall have them both. aki's kiss presses warm to his knuckle, and tighnari instantly knows what he wants.

silent understanding passes between the three of them. his breath rushes.

when ori pulls away, tighnari chases her with one hand, his padded fingertips gliding along her ribs, his eyes following her own as she glances down toward them both. he receives her kiss eagerly, warm and welcoming, and when she pulls back from it to kiss aki instead, his eyes follow again watching their lips meet, his gaze unfocused, pupils dilating wide. it's almost overwhelming, how beautiful they are, how surreal this all feels for how fortunate he is to have somehow earned them both.

shifting nearer, tighnari's hand slides along ori's side and around to her back, his fingertips dragging against the base of her tail while he nudges aki's jaw with his nose, urging it upward, his warm, open mouth pressing to aki's pulse. exhaling against smooth skin, tighnari hums, warm and content. ]

[ For his part, Aki has never seriously considered taking a partner before - there has never been time, and even if there was...he knows what's in store for him, even if his mission succeeds. He has traded too much life away to be so selfish as to ask someone to let him into their heart, only for them to lose him soon after. That hasn't stopped the longing, the ache, for his is a heart so full of love to give.

Yet Reverie has changed things, has taken away contracts he was bound by, though the danger it has substituted in their place makes the present no less critical. Perhaps he should be more cautious, perhaps he should make more of an effort to put his heart into reserve, because even if they come together like this, it doesn't necessarily mean things will stay this way. Tighnari and Ori have invited him to join them this time, when they need that sweet reminder of life and love, but is it just because of the intensity of the moments they've shared? Or...something more?

He cannot say - he doesn't want to say. Once Ori's lips capture his own and Tighnari kisses at his neck, it's so very easy to let those worries go, to simply...do what he does best. Follow his heart, and lean into this unexpected and wonderful thing they have found together wholeheartedly.

A quiet, plaintive sound moves in his throat, his lips parting against Ori's, the backs of his fingertips gliding again across her cheek, before dragging slowly down, over her jaw, her neck, her shoulder, indulging in the simple pleasure of touching her, of appreciating the warm liveliness of her skin. He had the whole night sleeping at her side as a reminder that she is alive, but it somehow still isn't enough - he craves more.

His other hand, which found its way into Tighnari's hair when he had pressed his mouth to Aki's pulse, lowers now too, smoothing between his shoulder blades and along his bare spine, counting his vertebrae, until Aki can sink his fingers into the thick plush of Tighnari's tail, working his touch in slow and steady. Already, his heart feels fit to burst. ]

[ Ori has been here long enough to have seen teammates and friends draw ever closer to one another, their bonds deepening in a way that Ori had all but completely written off, for herself. She's always been happy for them. Always fighting for Sphinx to be able to protect their loved ones, perhaps at the cost of her own desires. Belittling her own friendships (?) with Henry and Alec so that Arthur could protect Sprezzatura. Time and time again, she would smile whenever she saw Ingo and Da Vinci hold each other close, prepare tea for Arthur whenever he would return in the morning from a night spent in Basilisk's dormitory, and listen when Sprezzatura would speak of the viera in turn. She had been so sure, at a certain point, that such bonds were simply out of the question, out of reach for her.

And then mistletoe came, forcing her to reckon with a feeling that sits in a void within her heart, one that has seen friends and lovers come and go, a feeling that has sat for a long time, since even before arriving to this prison:

She's lonely.

She doesn't want to be alone anymore.

Not when she's finally found people who have captured her heart so wholly and utterly, who have each reminded her of what it's like to love, fiercely and deeply, to have smiles and tender moments that she would do anything to protect. Calm afternoons spend talking about plants. Quiet laughs exchanged on a snowy morning. She wants, so much, to be able to have more of these moments with them. And she will do everything she can to make sure they will.

And right now, that comes in the form of conveying just how much she cares for them both. Aki's lips part sweetly under hers, and she deepens the kiss in kind, angling her head as his hand draws lower, gliding over her lilac skin. Then the pads of Tighnari's fingertips find the base of her tail, pressing, causing her to hum sweetly against Aki's lips. It's then that her eyes flutter open, hooded as she rakes in the sight of Tighnari's lips on Aki's neck, and lower to Aki's fingers in Tighnari's tail. She can't help but hum, again, signaling her approval into the heat building in her and Aki's kiss as she reaches with one hand to caress Tighnari's soft ears, and with the other coming to rest against Aki's hand on her shoulder as she guides him slowly, questing, to the swell of her breast. ]

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