Balthier doesn't think there's anything illicit to her promise to keep him in bed a long while, and in some ways that makes it more comforting and more fragile. Some part of him knows what he's worth to her when they play their game, knows what the rules are. But he'd be lying if he said the prospect of just being wanted as company wasn't utterly desirable. Nor does he have the energy to follow through on these pings of frayed, worried thoughts, and maybe that's a blessing of its own.
The way she manages to shake him out of his head and keep him focused on the good between them is starting to feel familiar. There are no words for how thankful he is for that, especially tonight, and when she kisses him back and lingers against him, he gives her a warm smile. "Good," he says, that she's feeling better, that he's less of a worry.
He lets her lead him across the hall, charmed and a little floored himself at how easy this closeness is. The room may be sparse, but the sheer novelty of real privacy makes it the most wonderful luxury he could imagine, especially following a hot bath.
When she slips out of his hold and into the blankets, holding an arm open to him, he gladly obliges, nestling in beside her. The combined heat of their bodies, bolstered by the bathwater, creates a cocoon of warmth against the cold softness of the blankets. He wraps his arm around her back and middle, resting his chin on her head. There's something ... different that he's feeling tonight, thought his thoughts are still slow and muddy so he doesn't trust his observations. But when she makes that comment, he squeezes her, exhaling a little heavier than he means. "Me too," he admits, and that pressure in his face is back. "I like being here."
For a moment, a wave of fear and nausea bubbles in him again, the passing thought of having lost her in all this more upsetting to him than he'd have expected. He tries to steady his breathing, burying his nose in her hair. The sense of panic at having to obey orders, the terror of anyone but her having had that control-- He kisses her temple, rocking her gently. If their roles had been reversed, he would hate himself right now.
Once he joins her, Aerith quickly pulls the blankets around them as she wraps her arms around his shoulders, letting him lay them both back before she shifts and presses herself against him. Humming in approval she moves around a little more, draping her upper half across his chest like a blanket, both arms wrapping around his middle as she brings her legs around him as well, seemingly trying to hug him with her whole body at the same time.
He felt so good to have this close, and tonight it went beyond the usual reasons why that was true, touching on something a little deeper. Friendship, but not quite. When Balthier tenses it pulls Aerith from her thoughts, and she lifts her head slightly, blinking as she feels him kiss her temple. Untangling one of her arms from around him, Aerith brings her hand up from beneath the blankets, leaning back enough to look at his face as her fingers touch the side of his cheek.
"Hey," she says gently, pausing long enough to kiss him. "We're here. It's safe and quiet." Aerith's hand traces his jaw before smoothing through his damp hair. "I'm going to take care of you for as long as you need."
Aerith envelopes him in limbs and he responds somewhere between a pleased hum and a chuckle, shifting her limbs slightly to fit them together better. Arms already around her, he tangles his legs in hers, happy to get lost in where one of them begins and the other ends. This morning he wouldn't have dared held her like this, and now it feels so natural it's hard to believe it's the first time they've done this.
She's so attentive to the changes in his demeanor. Frustrated with himself, he almost wishes she wasn't. Now that he's calmer, the concern is so clear on her face. If he thought he could keep this down, he'd tell her he was fine. He knows better though.
"I know," he says, more sigh to his voice than he means. This isn't something he wants to talk about, but he feels like she deserves to know this isn't about today, not really.
"I -- Balthier isn't my given name," he starts. The words already hurt in his chest, and he pauses too long, stroking her skin, reminding himself that the danger -- all of the dangers he's checking over his shoulder for -- have passed. "I changed it when I ran away and became a pirate. My father was extremely controlling. Not having choice -- cost me a lot, almost cost me everything that mattered." It's stilted and vague, but he hopes it clarifies. "I have a hard time when my agency is threatened." So did everyone, he supposed, but he knew his reaction would take a few days to work through his system; it usually did.
Her arm tightens around him while he speaks, that sense of protectiveness she felt standing with him in the field, using the skirt of her dress to try and shield them both from the leering glances of the others around them flaring again as she listens to him tell her about the life fled from, and the reasons why he left.
It strikes a chord with her, Aerith understands the desperate panic that comes from not having a choice. She's felt it gnawing at her insides many times inside the Shinra lab as a child, and the memory of it makes her shift over him, moving to cover as much of his body as she could while hugging him to her.
"It's okay to have a hard time," she tilts her head and kisses the side of his face. "Even when you try to keep going forward, sometimes the past comes back for a little while," the memory of Hojo leering at her through the transparent wall of her cell as an adult, before her friends returned for her threatens, and Aerith determinedly pushes it aside in favor of kissing him again.
There's something in the way she's so protective of him, and in the choice of words for how she reassures him, that not for the first time he suspects she's had her own struggles. "You're right. It passes easier with good company, too." He holds her back just as tight, meeting her kisses slow and deep, because everything he can say with his body is so much clearer than his words right now, and not in the way they've previously tangled in bed.
Which is maybe why he doesn't notice the way arousal quietly starts to warm his body. It isn't a hunger, and honestly he has no thought past wanting to keep this woman close to him. His hands gently stroke the skin he can reach, and he tightens his legs around her, anchoring her here and now with him.
"I know I told you already, but, I'm really happy you're here." Her free hand runs down his arm as she ducks her head to kiss his shoulder, giving them both better things to think about than the past hurts that shaped them into the people now wading through the aftermath of a violating night.
Aerith looks back at his face, searching it before she leans in again for another long kiss, her thighs tensing, trying to draw him closer as she murmurs his name affectionately against his lips, happy to drink in all the warmth he has to offer, and give him everything he needs to make him feel better in return.
He hears it better this time, though, grateful she's said it again. The way she kisses him, the way she tenses around him and whispers his name -- he hums against her lips, and when she breaks away he murmurs her name back, hand trailing down her neck before he kisses her slowly again. Without really realizing what he's doing, that hand follows the line of her body until his hand rests gently filled with her breast. Their bodies shift and it's clear he's getting hard.
"Aerith," he breathes as their kiss breaks again. "I want to make you feel good -- no games, just us." Some part of him thinks this is selfish, but the way her thighs continue to contract, the way she kisses him -- the smarter part of him thinks this is the best thing he can give her. The next time is going to be in the shadow of tonight; why not wash that from them entirely?
And he wants to be as close to her as he can be. He's utterly relieved that he does.
The feel of his hand as it curves over her breast surprises her, albeit distantly, realizing that a part of her remained largely uncertain of how they would return to that kind of closeness after what happened. She's been preparing herself to give it all the time it needed, more than happy to wait as long as she still got to see him and be around him. His touch is unexpected, but far from unwelcome, and after a split second spent processing it, Aerith leans into him, nodding earnestly.
"I want to do the same for you," she whispers against his lips, lifting her hips enough to let herself press against his length as it hardens between them while she kisses him again. "I want it to be just us," it's strange how coming together as themselves, without the roles they like to assume to provide the backdrop, feels so new. Were it not for the night already being so heavy, Aerith might have stopped to consider the gravity of the situation, what this abandonment of the game and her willingness to put it down just to be with him could mean. At the moment, that sort of thing feels too complicated to dwell on when she would rather focus her attention on Balthier.
Still caught up in kissing him, her hand moves between them wrapping around his cock before she guides his head to press against her entrance. "Please," she whispers between kisses. "I want you inside me."
He wasn't sure what he'd expected -- feared, really -- but it wasn't the firm reciprocation she gives him. She adjusts to press against him and he sighs against her lips, threading his fingers through her hair before holding her tight to him, hand on her breast slowly massaging her soft, tender flesh. It's clear how much she wants him near in the way she clings to him and kisses him, but there's still something so reassuring to hearing her say it, and a line he wouldn't cross without her express permission. This is utterly new, even given everything they've done, and somehow feels more delicate and more important. That should terrify him, but honestly it just makes him feel safe, and beside that makes him so deeply want to take care of her.
Her hand slides between them, steering him to her entrance as they continue their deep, slow kisses and his hands run slowly over her flesh. He's not expecting the way her words make him shudder, kissing her harder as he adjusts their bodies so he's square on his back and she's centered over him. The kisses hardly falter as he puts her hand back on his cock, slowly rolling his hips up toward her. He hisses with pleasure as he gradually slips into her tight hot folds, marveling at being so clearly welcome. "Aerith," he murmurs, hand coming back to her face as the other trails down her back, fingers tracing on either side of her spine even as he finally rolls the entirety of his length inside her. "I want you," he whispers, stroking her cheek and staring up with all the awe and affection and disbelief rattling around inside them. There's so much mess in this place, but right now it's falling away, and all he cares about is focusing on her.
Happy to give herself over to the level of warmth and nearness she knows they're both after, despite the departure from the usual way they approach each other, Aerith lifts herself enough to tip her hips towards Balthier, inhaling a sharp breath when she feels him begin to sink into her. She pushes aside the part of her telling her that this is different, a departure from the games they play, an act motivated by something a little deeper than merely being subject to their surroundings and a certain level of attraction and interest. Whatever these new nuances are, they fall to the wayside in favor of taking every facet of this moment in and adoring it.
Turning her face towards the hand Balthier touches her cheek with, Aerith presses a kiss to his palm, his name coming in a hot exhale against his skin as she feels him fill her. Curving her body against his as she leans closer, her thighs squeeze his hips while she rocks herself against him, pulling a gasp out of her before her lips find his, kissing him almost imploringly. "I'm here, please, you have me." Aerith breaks their kiss off, her lips pressing against the line of his jaw before tips her chin up to press kisses all over his face while the palms of her hands run down his chest and along his sides, greedily touching as much of him as she can manage.
There's something pointedly different in the way she kisses his palm and the way they both murmur each other's name as their bodies slide together. He refuses to dwell on it, refuses to let anything else tonight occupy his mind that isn't just contentment at her being near. As she holds him and rocks so sweetly against him, the moisture that's been threatening all night finally, silently rolls down the corner of his eyes, not sad, not painful, just release.
The way she kisses him, though, he wants to just cradle her and convince her that it's alright, she's alright. "Shh," he coos back, thumb stroking her cheek. "I've got you. I'm not going anywhere." Did it scare her that much when his mind went away? He can't fix that, but he can be so present with her now. She breaks off their kiss, hands roving, and he sighs so happily, humming into the gentle kisses on his face. His touch mirrors hers, fingers trailing down her sides and rubbing up her back, firm and steady.
That jagged energy is still tense in her body though. He'd meant to give her control by having her on top of him, but now he thinks what she needs is just to be taken care of. Holding their bodies together, he rolls them without leaving her warm folds, kissing her forehead and cheeks as he rocks into her, still slow but letting some of his weight pin her down, one arm resettling the blankets around them both. She's so small, and he wants to build a cocoon around her, keep everything painful away.
Balthier moves to swap their positions, and Aerith lets herself go along willingly, content to be pressed back against the bed while covered so completely by his larger frame. Her legs wrap around his hips loosely, enough to keep him close to her while still giving him space to move. One arm stays around his shoulders as she arches her back, pressing herself against him, kissing along his throat before her mouth finds his again. "You feel perfect," Aerith whispers into that kiss, reveling in how warm and close he is, how completely he fills her.
Her hips meet his as he moves, tipping towards him, encouraging his thrusts, wordlessly urging him deeper into her. The thought that it's been a while since she's been with someone like this, not because of some drink, some suggestive room, or some weirdness in the air, but because she wants to, wants them comes and goes, her focus too centered on the feel of his body and the expression on his face to let it linger for long.
Aerith's free hand cradles Balthier's cheek, a soft whimper escaping her as her bright eyes sweep over his face, the corners of her lips curving into a dazed, wonderstruck smile.
Her legs up around his middle is lovely, giving him room to maneuver and feeling warm and comforting. When she arches against him, he catches her up, squeezing her tight and tilting his head as she kisses the column of his throat. It's only a few moments before his lips look for hers again, wanting that sense of connectedness more than any specific stimulation.
"Good," he whispers back, afraid to say more because he's having similar thoughts. How long has it been since he just wanted to be close to someone? What does it mean that he wants to now? She's whimpering for him, though, and her face is so dazed and happy and that's all he can think about, smiling just as dazedly back as he uses their adjusted angle to thrust deep into her and pull back slowly.
"Gods, Aerith, you are unbelievably stunning," he murmurs between kisses. She feels so good, and he wants to draw this out forever, just wrapped in each other feeling wonderful. Their perfect rocking is starting to pull moans from him, and he breaks off their kisses to bury his face in her neck for a moment, one hand coming to her breast the way she likes.
Like him, she's in no rush to bring this to its natural conclusion, everything in this nest of blankets fills her senses, chasing out the chill of the night, and the larger, overhanging bleakness that comes with being confined in this prison. Whatever it means to find so much respite and comfort in doing this with someone can remain unexplored for now. For once, she doesn't want to reach for his buttons and push them, or crack a joke and disarm him by making him smile, things are, as she told him - perfect like this, and it's more than she expected and more than enough to soothe the raw edges left behind from the incident out in the field.
Her fingers run down the sides of his neck, the compliment he gives her pulling a breathless laugh from her while she leans in, kissing the underside of his chin before he's hiding his face in her hair and she's wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a hug. The slow, deep, cadence of the rhythm he moves his hips with quietly works away at her resolve, sending waves of pleasure through her, her nerves seeming to sing in response, compelling her to move with him, gasping each time he sinks back into her, leaving her rocking against his cock as he fills her.
"Balthier," she gasps, her hands moving down his body, grasping hold of his hips as her legs tighten around him, making him still while his cock's pressed inside her. "Stop, stop," she breathes, smiling broadly as her mouth claims his again. "Stay like this for a second, I don't want it to end yet." She's not sure how long she can make it last like this, he's already urged her past the point where she's already beginning to ache for more of that delicious movement, but Aerith's determined to make it wait while she takes in every detail of this moment, committing it to memory.
There's nothing more perfect he could imagine than the way she gasps and arches against him, moving to meet him even as she kisses against him, dazzling him with smiles and happy whimpers. Her walls begin to contract around him and he moans back. He keeps true to his intention to go slow, but there's no denying the tingling heat as they move toward tipping, and his fingers knead into her breast in search of her sighs of pleasure.
When she clamps around him, pleading for him to stop and wait, he can't help but chuckle lowly. There's a heady mix of pride and relief at how easy it was to get her so close to orgasm, how close he is. "Let me look at you then," he murmurs back, stilling his hips when he's full inside her, loving they way they twitch against each other. He brushes that long, gorgeous hair from her face, spilled out around her to where the blankets cover both of them. He sighs, knuckle running down her cheek, having to focus a little to keep his hips from rocking of their own accord and not quite succeeding.
"I'm so glad I went to that silly shop that morning," he tells her with a smile that's bright and warm, eyelids heavy as he takes her in. "And I'm so glad I'm here with you now." He leans down to kiss her again, letting his weight press against her torso, his fingers tangling up into her hair. There's no game, no push to overwhelm her, he just can't keep away from how badly he wants to touch ever piece of her and chase away anything that isn't beautiful comfort.
Aerith props herself up on an elbow, happy to grant that request as it means she gets to do the same to him, eagerly drinking in the sight of his face as he brushes her hair back while he looks her over. "You're always so beautiful," she whispers before dipping her head to kiss his shoulder, pressing her cheek against his skin after, her eyes returning to his face.
Her hips give a little twitch of their own accord as she hangs on his every word, the tips of her fingers tracing his collar as the smile on her face goes wider. "I treasure you, and all the time we've had together." Before being taken from her home she talked a lot about making the most of the time she had, and while here things are so different, that much remains true, especially with him.
The arm around his shoulder tenses as he presses against her, pulling him to her, effectively squishing her body to his in her relentless pursuit of closeness. "It's wonderful," she begins between kisses. "You being here." He's warm and solid, and she's caught up in how good it feels to have him like this, tangled up together.
"You always look at me like I'm not quite real," he whispers back, loving the way he always catches her gaze on him and knowing he does the same to her. He scratches the back of her scalp as she curls into his shoulder, sliding his arm all the way around her as she looks up at him and shivering as she traces his collar bone. Her hips twitch and he can't help the way he grinds against her in response, chuckling placidly at the way their bodies can't quite stay still.
And here she is, giving him more sweet words that leave his mind reeling. She's not the sort to offer them emptily, and all he can do his hold close to her, kissing her with renewed vigor as she holds fast to him. "You're making it very hard to wait," he teases between kisses, trying to keep his hips still but unable to do anything about his cock tensing and throbbing inside her or the way he feels her clench around him. Then he sighs, cradling her to him, just laying his cheek against hers for a moment. "I'm so glad we can have this." The 'after tonight's events' is left unsaid, but by now he thinks it's clear how worried they both were.
She grins at the remark, snuggling against him before she presses her lips against his earlobe to whisper to him. "You're always better than real." Kissing his cheek after she speaks she leans back and looks at his face, her breath catching when he moves to meet the way her body instinctively urges her hips further.
Breathing out a laugh, she loosens her thighs hold on his hips, rolling herself against him with a soft moan. "Is this better?" The way he throbs against her walls makes it impossible to go still again, both hands coming up to cradle his face as she kisses him again and again, not allowing him to answer that question.
Her whisper at her earlobe makes him shiver against her, and he hums into her charming compliment. That's a good way to describe what they have. And then all his thoughts fall out of his head because she's moving against him and making that gorgeous face.
She rolls against him again and he moans in return. Any resolve he tries to hold onto is gone as she's cradling his face and kissing him, and it's all he can do to kiss her back and let his hips roll back against her. It's a dance, really, one with no clear leader, and he loves it. And gods, she feels good bucking back against him, kissing his face joyously and almost possessively. Gasping her name between kisses, he tries to keep slow but his movements become quicker and firmer.
Blissfully caught between him and the mattress, Aerith feels that familiar, blissful tension coiling deep within her core as her body moves with his. She can feel the way his rhythm changes, the way the slow press of his thrusts quickens when he drives into her, signaling that he too is edging towards release.
That rising urgency spurs her on, crying out each time she brings herself against him, eager to feel him press into her to the hilt each time she feels his cock fill her, the sound of him whispering her name driving her on. Lips parting she smothers a moan against his mouth, her tongue brushing against his as she feels herself shiver against him, the slick heat of her walls tightening around his length, feeling the beginnings of her orgasm begin to zing through her body.
Having her come undone beneath him, trusting him to bring her quietly to bliss fills him with such contentment. Urgency builds in him as well, but it's secondary to the need to see her reach release. Of course, that only feeds back in, because hearing her moan as he fills her is giving him a high he hasn't felt before, even with her. He keeps his lips close to hers, shuddering back as she shivers against him, her tongue seeking him out like she can't get enough of him. He meets her, as he knows he will in all things, tongue brushing back against hers before he bites lightly on her lower lip. His hands drift down to hold her hips so he can crush into her just a little faster.
Her cunt starts to flutter against him. His lips part in a moan and he pulls his head back just enough to watch her as he pushes her into orgasm, that beautiful face twisting in ecstasy as her breath comes jagged and her body starts to arch and lock to the rhythm of his hips and his whispers of her name.
Somewhere in all that, he tips over too, his sounds changing to something half-strangled as he curls back over her, hips moving like he can't get deep enough into her, body shivering against the clamping of her walls until he cries out too, holding her tight to him as he freezes, white heat pouring through him and into her perfect hold. For a perfect moment, their bodies are one.
Then he's breathing again, moving, and he doesn't let her go, nuzzling against her and letting the haphazard thrusts of aftershock roll through them both. "Aerith," he murmurs, hot and dizzy and so at peace, knowing she's still sensitive so close after orgasm. He continues to rock slowly against her, slowly stilling to just sit inside her a little longer, weight covering her like a blanket. "This is how I want to make you feel."
After his hands grab hold of her hips, enabling him to drive into her faster Aerith cries out, one hand tangling into his hair, holding him in that voracious kiss until the sensations building through her become too much to ignore, leaving her with her head tipped back, whimpering his name. The tension cording through her, keeping her tight around his cock and arched flush against him, finally snaps in a rush of shuddering bliss. Her legs tighten around him as she forces herself to open her eyes and meet his hungry gaze as he watches her climax light up her face and guide the raggedness of her movements.
His cock throbs against her walls, the urgency of his movements rising to a fever pitch before the heat of his release fills her, encouraging fresh waves of pleasure to sweep over her senses. "Balthier," his name is a breathless whimper, soft but tight on her lips, punctuated by a throaty groan that tapers off to blissful silence as they collapse together.
Aerith wraps both arms around him, the slowing ebb of his hips keeping her gasping until he goes still and lets her catch her breath, basking in the heat from their bodies and the way he stays buried inside her even in the wake of their orgasms.
Color high on her face as she listens to him speak, still lost to this wonderful haze of feeling she leans up to kiss him in answer. "You do," she whispers earnestly, knowing the response doesn't do how she feels justice at all. "Balthier, this is perfect."
He hums against her, the vibration no doubt carrying against her skin as the last of the rolling movements pass through them both. "You're perfect," he murmurs back, just as breathless at the way she whimpered his name and clings to him as he is at having emptied himself in her.
For a few minutes, they fall into pleasant silence, his fingers gently stroking her skin as they stay pressed together, putting gentle kisses wherever he can reach, just enjoying being close to her and still entangled in one another.
As his cock softens, he pulls his hips away, sighing happily as they part. "Give me a minute," he says with another kiss and disentangles, slipping into the cold to go retrieve a towel. He wipes himself off, returning to hand it to her before sliding back into their nest of warmth and blankets and bare skin. "Come here," he says, leaving her hands free to clean up but pulling her back against him, kissing her hair like it's been days since he saw her last.
Aerith laughs softly and shakes her head, her hands sliding up his shoulders before combing through his hair, pushing it back from his face as she smiles lopsidedly up at him. "You're perfect," she insists quietly before drawing him close enough to kiss his cheek and cuddle up to him again.
A noise of objection escapes her when he pulls back, sliding out of her before climbing out of bed. Frowning after him, Aerith waits in the mound of blankets until he returns with a towel, her displeasure instantly turning to appreciation. She doesn't wait once she's cleaned up, tossing the towel off to the side to get in close, pushing gently at his shoulders. "Lay back, it's my turn to be the blanket."
Soft and dozy though she may be, she still looks eager when after he's laying on his back, she moves to climb over him, draping herself across his chest and along his body with a grin on her face, her elbow resting lightly on the mattress beside him as she props her chin on her hand and looks at him. "You are full of surprises Balthier."
Some part of him had wondered if this would all evaporate when they finished. Her clear displeasure at his leaving pulls a smile from him, which only widens when her face lights up at his return. It fleetingly occurs to him she may have thought he was leaving — he of course was not, so it hadn’t crossed his mind, but he tucks that information away.
And when she pushes him back, he laughs with delight, complying readily. “So you just like ordering me around, is it?” His grin is just as wide, and he loops his arms loosely around her as she settles herself over him, stroking her beautiful skin and adjusting his position to look right back at her.
Maybe he should be concerned about how stupidly happy he is just to have her like this and grin like an idiot at her, but whether it’s wise self preservation or just giddy single mindedness, he’s not. This is the best he’s felt since arriving in this damned place. Maybe longer, which really is too big of a thought to acknowledge. So instead he slides a hand down to cup her ass, tilting his head to kiss her face. “So are you, Aerith, and it’s intoxicating.”
Exhaustion is hanging just beneath the euphoria, but the thought of spending the night with her in this nest of warmth is so calming that he’s not fighting it.
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The way she manages to shake him out of his head and keep him focused on the good between them is starting to feel familiar. There are no words for how thankful he is for that, especially tonight, and when she kisses him back and lingers against him, he gives her a warm smile. "Good," he says, that she's feeling better, that he's less of a worry.
He lets her lead him across the hall, charmed and a little floored himself at how easy this closeness is. The room may be sparse, but the sheer novelty of real privacy makes it the most wonderful luxury he could imagine, especially following a hot bath.
When she slips out of his hold and into the blankets, holding an arm open to him, he gladly obliges, nestling in beside her. The combined heat of their bodies, bolstered by the bathwater, creates a cocoon of warmth against the cold softness of the blankets. He wraps his arm around her back and middle, resting his chin on her head. There's something ... different that he's feeling tonight, thought his thoughts are still slow and muddy so he doesn't trust his observations. But when she makes that comment, he squeezes her, exhaling a little heavier than he means. "Me too," he admits, and that pressure in his face is back. "I like being here."
For a moment, a wave of fear and nausea bubbles in him again, the passing thought of having lost her in all this more upsetting to him than he'd have expected. He tries to steady his breathing, burying his nose in her hair. The sense of panic at having to obey orders, the terror of anyone but her having had that control-- He kisses her temple, rocking her gently. If their roles had been reversed, he would hate himself right now.
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He felt so good to have this close, and tonight it went beyond the usual reasons why that was true, touching on something a little deeper. Friendship, but not quite. When Balthier tenses it pulls Aerith from her thoughts, and she lifts her head slightly, blinking as she feels him kiss her temple. Untangling one of her arms from around him, Aerith brings her hand up from beneath the blankets, leaning back enough to look at his face as her fingers touch the side of his cheek.
"Hey," she says gently, pausing long enough to kiss him. "We're here. It's safe and quiet." Aerith's hand traces his jaw before smoothing through his damp hair. "I'm going to take care of you for as long as you need."
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She's so attentive to the changes in his demeanor. Frustrated with himself, he almost wishes she wasn't. Now that he's calmer, the concern is so clear on her face. If he thought he could keep this down, he'd tell her he was fine. He knows better though.
"I know," he says, more sigh to his voice than he means. This isn't something he wants to talk about, but he feels like she deserves to know this isn't about today, not really.
"I -- Balthier isn't my given name," he starts. The words already hurt in his chest, and he pauses too long, stroking her skin, reminding himself that the danger -- all of the dangers he's checking over his shoulder for -- have passed. "I changed it when I ran away and became a pirate. My father was extremely controlling. Not having choice -- cost me a lot, almost cost me everything that mattered." It's stilted and vague, but he hopes it clarifies. "I have a hard time when my agency is threatened." So did everyone, he supposed, but he knew his reaction would take a few days to work through his system; it usually did.
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It strikes a chord with her, Aerith understands the desperate panic that comes from not having a choice. She's felt it gnawing at her insides many times inside the Shinra lab as a child, and the memory of it makes her shift over him, moving to cover as much of his body as she could while hugging him to her.
"It's okay to have a hard time," she tilts her head and kisses the side of his face. "Even when you try to keep going forward, sometimes the past comes back for a little while," the memory of Hojo leering at her through the transparent wall of her cell as an adult, before her friends returned for her threatens, and Aerith determinedly pushes it aside in favor of kissing him again.
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Which is maybe why he doesn't notice the way arousal quietly starts to warm his body. It isn't a hunger, and honestly he has no thought past wanting to keep this woman close to him. His hands gently stroke the skin he can reach, and he tightens his legs around her, anchoring her here and now with him.
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Aerith looks back at his face, searching it before she leans in again for another long kiss, her thighs tensing, trying to draw him closer as she murmurs his name affectionately against his lips, happy to drink in all the warmth he has to offer, and give him everything he needs to make him feel better in return.
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"Aerith," he breathes as their kiss breaks again. "I want to make you feel good -- no games, just us." Some part of him thinks this is selfish, but the way her thighs continue to contract, the way she kisses him -- the smarter part of him thinks this is the best thing he can give her. The next time is going to be in the shadow of tonight; why not wash that from them entirely?
And he wants to be as close to her as he can be. He's utterly relieved that he does.
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"I want to do the same for you," she whispers against his lips, lifting her hips enough to let herself press against his length as it hardens between them while she kisses him again. "I want it to be just us," it's strange how coming together as themselves, without the roles they like to assume to provide the backdrop, feels so new. Were it not for the night already being so heavy, Aerith might have stopped to consider the gravity of the situation, what this abandonment of the game and her willingness to put it down just to be with him could mean. At the moment, that sort of thing feels too complicated to dwell on when she would rather focus her attention on Balthier.
Still caught up in kissing him, her hand moves between them wrapping around his cock before she guides his head to press against her entrance. "Please," she whispers between kisses. "I want you inside me."
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Her hand slides between them, steering him to her entrance as they continue their deep, slow kisses and his hands run slowly over her flesh. He's not expecting the way her words make him shudder, kissing her harder as he adjusts their bodies so he's square on his back and she's centered over him. The kisses hardly falter as he puts her hand back on his cock, slowly rolling his hips up toward her. He hisses with pleasure as he gradually slips into her tight hot folds, marveling at being so clearly welcome. "Aerith," he murmurs, hand coming back to her face as the other trails down her back, fingers tracing on either side of her spine even as he finally rolls the entirety of his length inside her. "I want you," he whispers, stroking her cheek and staring up with all the awe and affection and disbelief rattling around inside them. There's so much mess in this place, but right now it's falling away, and all he cares about is focusing on her.
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Turning her face towards the hand Balthier touches her cheek with, Aerith presses a kiss to his palm, his name coming in a hot exhale against his skin as she feels him fill her. Curving her body against his as she leans closer, her thighs squeeze his hips while she rocks herself against him, pulling a gasp out of her before her lips find his, kissing him almost imploringly. "I'm here, please, you have me." Aerith breaks their kiss off, her lips pressing against the line of his jaw before tips her chin up to press kisses all over his face while the palms of her hands run down his chest and along his sides, greedily touching as much of him as she can manage.
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The way she kisses him, though, he wants to just cradle her and convince her that it's alright, she's alright. "Shh," he coos back, thumb stroking her cheek. "I've got you. I'm not going anywhere." Did it scare her that much when his mind went away? He can't fix that, but he can be so present with her now. She breaks off their kiss, hands roving, and he sighs so happily, humming into the gentle kisses on his face. His touch mirrors hers, fingers trailing down her sides and rubbing up her back, firm and steady.
That jagged energy is still tense in her body though. He'd meant to give her control by having her on top of him, but now he thinks what she needs is just to be taken care of. Holding their bodies together, he rolls them without leaving her warm folds, kissing her forehead and cheeks as he rocks into her, still slow but letting some of his weight pin her down, one arm resettling the blankets around them both. She's so small, and he wants to build a cocoon around her, keep everything painful away.
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Her hips meet his as he moves, tipping towards him, encouraging his thrusts, wordlessly urging him deeper into her. The thought that it's been a while since she's been with someone like this, not because of some drink, some suggestive room, or some weirdness in the air, but because she wants to, wants them comes and goes, her focus too centered on the feel of his body and the expression on his face to let it linger for long.
Aerith's free hand cradles Balthier's cheek, a soft whimper escaping her as her bright eyes sweep over his face, the corners of her lips curving into a dazed, wonderstruck smile.
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"Good," he whispers back, afraid to say more because he's having similar thoughts. How long has it been since he just wanted to be close to someone? What does it mean that he wants to now? She's whimpering for him, though, and her face is so dazed and happy and that's all he can think about, smiling just as dazedly back as he uses their adjusted angle to thrust deep into her and pull back slowly.
"Gods, Aerith, you are unbelievably stunning," he murmurs between kisses. She feels so good, and he wants to draw this out forever, just wrapped in each other feeling wonderful. Their perfect rocking is starting to pull moans from him, and he breaks off their kisses to bury his face in her neck for a moment, one hand coming to her breast the way she likes.
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Her fingers run down the sides of his neck, the compliment he gives her pulling a breathless laugh from her while she leans in, kissing the underside of his chin before he's hiding his face in her hair and she's wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a hug. The slow, deep, cadence of the rhythm he moves his hips with quietly works away at her resolve, sending waves of pleasure through her, her nerves seeming to sing in response, compelling her to move with him, gasping each time he sinks back into her, leaving her rocking against his cock as he fills her.
"Balthier," she gasps, her hands moving down his body, grasping hold of his hips as her legs tighten around him, making him still while his cock's pressed inside her. "Stop, stop," she breathes, smiling broadly as her mouth claims his again. "Stay like this for a second, I don't want it to end yet." She's not sure how long she can make it last like this, he's already urged her past the point where she's already beginning to ache for more of that delicious movement, but Aerith's determined to make it wait while she takes in every detail of this moment, committing it to memory.
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When she clamps around him, pleading for him to stop and wait, he can't help but chuckle lowly. There's a heady mix of pride and relief at how easy it was to get her so close to orgasm, how close he is. "Let me look at you then," he murmurs back, stilling his hips when he's full inside her, loving they way they twitch against each other. He brushes that long, gorgeous hair from her face, spilled out around her to where the blankets cover both of them. He sighs, knuckle running down her cheek, having to focus a little to keep his hips from rocking of their own accord and not quite succeeding.
"I'm so glad I went to that silly shop that morning," he tells her with a smile that's bright and warm, eyelids heavy as he takes her in. "And I'm so glad I'm here with you now." He leans down to kiss her again, letting his weight press against her torso, his fingers tangling up into her hair. There's no game, no push to overwhelm her, he just can't keep away from how badly he wants to touch ever piece of her and chase away anything that isn't beautiful comfort.
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Her hips give a little twitch of their own accord as she hangs on his every word, the tips of her fingers tracing his collar as the smile on her face goes wider. "I treasure you, and all the time we've had together." Before being taken from her home she talked a lot about making the most of the time she had, and while here things are so different, that much remains true, especially with him.
The arm around his shoulder tenses as he presses against her, pulling him to her, effectively squishing her body to his in her relentless pursuit of closeness. "It's wonderful," she begins between kisses. "You being here." He's warm and solid, and she's caught up in how good it feels to have him like this, tangled up together.
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And here she is, giving him more sweet words that leave his mind reeling. She's not the sort to offer them emptily, and all he can do his hold close to her, kissing her with renewed vigor as she holds fast to him. "You're making it very hard to wait," he teases between kisses, trying to keep his hips still but unable to do anything about his cock tensing and throbbing inside her or the way he feels her clench around him. Then he sighs, cradling her to him, just laying his cheek against hers for a moment. "I'm so glad we can have this." The 'after tonight's events' is left unsaid, but by now he thinks it's clear how worried they both were.
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Breathing out a laugh, she loosens her thighs hold on his hips, rolling herself against him with a soft moan. "Is this better?" The way he throbs against her walls makes it impossible to go still again, both hands coming up to cradle his face as she kisses him again and again, not allowing him to answer that question.
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She rolls against him again and he moans in return. Any resolve he tries to hold onto is gone as she's cradling his face and kissing him, and it's all he can do to kiss her back and let his hips roll back against her. It's a dance, really, one with no clear leader, and he loves it. And gods, she feels good bucking back against him, kissing his face joyously and almost possessively. Gasping her name between kisses, he tries to keep slow but his movements become quicker and firmer.
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That rising urgency spurs her on, crying out each time she brings herself against him, eager to feel him press into her to the hilt each time she feels his cock fill her, the sound of him whispering her name driving her on. Lips parting she smothers a moan against his mouth, her tongue brushing against his as she feels herself shiver against him, the slick heat of her walls tightening around his length, feeling the beginnings of her orgasm begin to zing through her body.
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Her cunt starts to flutter against him. His lips part in a moan and he pulls his head back just enough to watch her as he pushes her into orgasm, that beautiful face twisting in ecstasy as her breath comes jagged and her body starts to arch and lock to the rhythm of his hips and his whispers of her name.
Somewhere in all that, he tips over too, his sounds changing to something half-strangled as he curls back over her, hips moving like he can't get deep enough into her, body shivering against the clamping of her walls until he cries out too, holding her tight to him as he freezes, white heat pouring through him and into her perfect hold. For a perfect moment, their bodies are one.
Then he's breathing again, moving, and he doesn't let her go, nuzzling against her and letting the haphazard thrusts of aftershock roll through them both. "Aerith," he murmurs, hot and dizzy and so at peace, knowing she's still sensitive so close after orgasm. He continues to rock slowly against her, slowly stilling to just sit inside her a little longer, weight covering her like a blanket. "This is how I want to make you feel."
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His cock throbs against her walls, the urgency of his movements rising to a fever pitch before the heat of his release fills her, encouraging fresh waves of pleasure to sweep over her senses. "Balthier," his name is a breathless whimper, soft but tight on her lips, punctuated by a throaty groan that tapers off to blissful silence as they collapse together.
Aerith wraps both arms around him, the slowing ebb of his hips keeping her gasping until he goes still and lets her catch her breath, basking in the heat from their bodies and the way he stays buried inside her even in the wake of their orgasms.
Color high on her face as she listens to him speak, still lost to this wonderful haze of feeling she leans up to kiss him in answer. "You do," she whispers earnestly, knowing the response doesn't do how she feels justice at all. "Balthier, this is perfect."
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For a few minutes, they fall into pleasant silence, his fingers gently stroking her skin as they stay pressed together, putting gentle kisses wherever he can reach, just enjoying being close to her and still entangled in one another.
As his cock softens, he pulls his hips away, sighing happily as they part. "Give me a minute," he says with another kiss and disentangles, slipping into the cold to go retrieve a towel. He wipes himself off, returning to hand it to her before sliding back into their nest of warmth and blankets and bare skin. "Come here," he says, leaving her hands free to clean up but pulling her back against him, kissing her hair like it's been days since he saw her last.
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A noise of objection escapes her when he pulls back, sliding out of her before climbing out of bed. Frowning after him, Aerith waits in the mound of blankets until he returns with a towel, her displeasure instantly turning to appreciation. She doesn't wait once she's cleaned up, tossing the towel off to the side to get in close, pushing gently at his shoulders. "Lay back, it's my turn to be the blanket."
Soft and dozy though she may be, she still looks eager when after he's laying on his back, she moves to climb over him, draping herself across his chest and along his body with a grin on her face, her elbow resting lightly on the mattress beside him as she props her chin on her hand and looks at him. "You are full of surprises Balthier."
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And when she pushes him back, he laughs with delight, complying readily. “So you just like ordering me around, is it?” His grin is just as wide, and he loops his arms loosely around her as she settles herself over him, stroking her beautiful skin and adjusting his position to look right back at her.
Maybe he should be concerned about how stupidly happy he is just to have her like this and grin like an idiot at her, but whether it’s wise self preservation or just giddy single mindedness, he’s not. This is the best he’s felt since arriving in this damned place. Maybe longer, which really is too big of a thought to acknowledge. So instead he slides a hand down to cup her ass, tilting his head to kiss her face. “So are you, Aerith, and it’s intoxicating.”
Exhaustion is hanging just beneath the euphoria, but the thought of spending the night with her in this nest of warmth is so calming that he’s not fighting it.
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