fearlessly | THE PSL!!!!!!

THE PSL!!!!!!

[ this time, returning had not been easy.

it's certainly not the first time. from the temple and lunatia both, alisaie had returned to her home only to bounce back to both places, but each time had been a reset, a return to her "real life," to what she left behind, as if she had never left. she had no recollection of her time spent outside of this world, no memory of the events, or emotions, or people she had been leaving behind, and so ignorance had been bliss. she had remembered, of course, every time she returned, but it had hardly mattered then, once she was back.

this time, she remembers, and because of it there is a sense of.. finality. alisaie does not know how or why, but somehow, deep in her gut, she knows that she will not be returning to lunatia. it might be her natural cynicism, her realism that one day it would come to pass that she would arrive home and not return, and she may very well be wrong, but still she cannot help the feeling that it is over, that just as she had expected she is left to remember it all, to keenly feel the ache of her breaking heart.

prompto would have said that it would be worth it. he had said as much, in the past. he would say that having experienced love would be enough, that their time together, even if less than they both would want, would be better than nothing. she wants to agree, but in her heart she cannot convince herself, and instead there is only a quiet, private bitterness that she nurses in the deep hours of the night when she sleeps to the sound of the chilly wind over the dry sands of amh araeng. the desert suits her, arid and inhospitable and imbued with an old and powerful sense of longing and loss; mayhaps it was one of the many reasons she had been drawn here to begin with, when she first arrived on the shard. this wasteland at the ends of the earth, its very sands and stones infused with the ache of countless grieving hearts and angry ends, is a reflection of her soul. it always has been.

but still she works. that much is easy. there is always work to be done, and alisaie is more than happy to see to it, to bury herself in it, to distract herself from her anger and heartbreak because it has been several moons now, and she was right. it has all ended, and rather than prompto being erased from her heart and mind, she is left with the lingering memory of him in her mind's eye, on her skin, in her heart. he had promised, and where is he now? where is she? alone with her thoughts in this desolate wasteland.

would that he were here, if only so she could sock him right in the gut. ]

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[ he has always melted easily enough beneath her touch, but in this moment it is exquisite, as if she can feel each and every one of his muscles beginning to ease beneath her fingertips. alisaie never thought she would care for the touch of another person, that she would miss it so very much, that she could ever care for a person so much - and be cared for in return - that she would ache for the touch of their hands and skin.

what a long way she has come. ]

So have I.

[ she murmurs, close beside his ear, but soon enough she is pulling back to begin pushing on his head and shoulders again. they're entering feelings territory, time to retreat!! ]

Now, rinse again.

[ Ah yes, back to the status quo, he enjoyed the schmoopy exchange while he could. This time he moves more easily with her guidance, ducking his head into the water to run his fingers through his hair to wash out the suds and dirt. The water itself is pretty filthy by now, but it is still so, so much better than the layer of dirt that has been caked onto his skin for weeks.

Only once he has made sure his hair is free of suds does he pop back up again, heaving a sigh and leaning back again. ]

What would you do if I did fall asleep in here, huh? Just throw a blanket over me and call it a day?

[ The water is nice and warm now, but soon enough it will be cold, falling asleep doesn't sound so appealing when he thinks of it like that. ]

[ don't worry there are warm coals beneath the basin to keep the water warm, but it would probably like, congeal with all of his sweat and dirt and he'd wake up in a little miniature swamp of his own making.. which is even worse tbh. think of all the bacteria brewing.

but alisaie chuckles in response. ]

Probably. You would be a giant prune come morning.

[ he smells much better now when she leans in to rest her chin on his shoulder, the washcloth in her hand coming to rest against his chest. ]

Are you going to scrub your lower half yourself, or shall I?

[ tbh she probably can't reach his balls from here anyway, and they're probably real gross, but it's fun to point out. ]

[ As nice as the thought of her scrubbing his lower half is, heheh, it's...probably best if handles that for now. They may as close as two people can get, but that doesn't mean he's just going to put his gross ding dong in her hand!! He has standards, and she deserves better than that... ]

Hm...nah, I got it.

[ Taking the washcloth from her, he turns a quick peck against her cheek before he leans forward to, you know, scrub at his crusty balls. ]

Trust me, you don't wanna now how gross I am down here.

[ she loves him, but he can have the privilege of cleaning his crusty balls all to himself. he missed him, but not that much.

but while he finishes up, she can tend to his clothing. they've been soaking in hot, soapy water this entire time, but they could use a good washing, so she leans in to lather and scrub them with her hands while he lathers and scrubs.. elsewhere. ]

Oh, I have a vague idea.

[ she's done a lot of roughing it in the past herself, and the facilities here are, you know, kind of primitive.. but she's an elf so she never smells ]

No doubt you could grow mushrooms in the crack of your arse right about now.

[ he chose this.. ]

[ Uhuh, he's smelled her morning breath, he knows that "elves never smell" is just a myth!! But she isn't wrong about his ass crack, and he doesn't think to try and stop himself before he snorts out a laugh. ]

Hey, it's not that bad! And y'know, this is a desert, so it's not like the dirt stuck up there is all fertile...

[ Enjoy that visual. It sure feels nice though, to get all cleaned off in his cruddiest places, all his nooks and crannies, right down to between his toes. It's bliss... ]

We seriously got work on the indoor plumbing out here, babe.

[ He's kidding...probably. ]

[ that was just his own stinky breath blowing back in his face!! she's an elf AND a girl, double no smell. she definitely doesn't fart either. especially not for dutch ovening him. ]

Well, you go on and work on that yourself, then.

[ she has no interest in laying pipes.... theres only one pipe she wants to lay, wink wonk. anyway, she soon begins to wring out his clothes. they're not perfect, but far cleaner than they were. ]

[ The lengths Prompto is willing to go to for a shower...well, hopefully they'll have plenty of time to figure out the plumbing situation later. For now, he's about as well scrubbed as he's going to get, and the water is starting to get pretty nasty itself. To think all that was on his body...there's probably some dead bugs in there. He's going to do his best not to think about that.

Even so, getting up is another matter entirely. Rolling onto his side to look at her, Prompto props up his head with one hand and exhales a long sound of utter relief. ]

Hm...think you could roll me up in a towel and put me to bed?

[ i mean if he's going to be intensely needy over showers, mord souq isn't terribly far, and the crystarium has all the amenities he could ever hope for. they won't be here forever. for now he'll have to take what he can get!!

arching a brow, alisaie's mouth twists into a light smirk. ]

I doubt it, but I could leave you here if you like.

[ she's strong, but she's not sure she could life his deadweight body out of a tub of water. leaning down, alisaie pulls the cork plug out of both tubs so they can begin to drain into the sand. his minutes are numbered now!! ]

[ No!!! He travels the world to find her, and she betrays him like this...as soon as the water begins to recede, goosebumps prickle up on his skin, and he snatches the nearby towel. Apparently, he's not so tired that he would rather be cold...

Jumping up and stepping out of the tub, he starts to dry himself off. ]

Alright, but I don't 'spose you've got a nice, warm pair of jimmy-jams I could wear, do you?

[ His clothes, though cleaner now, don't sound all that appealing when they're wet, and everything else he has in his pack is equally dirty... ]

[ just 1 hint of cold and he sure is moving fast isn't he!! it doesn't help that the desert nights are notoriously frigid.. ]

No, I expect you to sleep in these sopping wet clothes.

[ she says, flatly, one brow arched high, before she rolls her eyes and shakes out his damp clothing to hang it on a line behind her. ]

Yes, of course I have clean things for you to wear.

[ Look, he just got here, he didn't want to assume that she just has jimjams for him at the drop of a hat! Hopefully she has them nearby, however, because even as he towels himself dry, the cool night air starts to prick at his skin, and he is still very naked... ]

Great! 'Cause I'm ready to sleep and snuggle you into next week...as long as you don't have any objections, anyway.

[ He says with a light chuckle, while rubbing the towel through his hair, turning it into a damp, wild disaster. A far cry from his usually perfectly manicured hair. ]

[ i mean she doesn't have prompto specific clothing with his name embroidered into the undies or anything.. but people travel here often, and they are usually as filthy and tired as he is, so they must have a decent stock of clothing to draw from. prompto isn't particularly big, it shouldn't be difficult to find something to fit him. ]

.. I'm sure you are.

[ she says, gently, around a soft, almost private smile. it's been so long since they have been intimate, able to even hold one another.. ]

Dry yourself off, I shall fetch something for you.

[ and it isn't long before she's returning with a bundle of comfy clothes for him to wear. ]

[ Oh...what a fetching outfit she has for him!! :flushed: But he doesn't miss that soft, warm smile of hers. Much as they might have fallen right back into their usual routine without a thought, it isn't lost on either of them how tremendously special their reunion is, nor how long it has been since they've been able to simply hold one another. The thought of being able to do so again at last...it's exquisite.

With a gentle smile of his own, he takes the clothes from her and begins to tug them on — minus the boots, because it's bedtime! But it's a nice set of duds, loose enough to be comfy, and yet it's still got that sweet neckline Alisaie can appreciate. Soon enough he's dressed and stretching his arms above his head, his spine cracking in several places. ]

Oh, yeah, that's the ticket...do me a favor and never let me go that long without a bath again.

[ For both their sakes, tbh. ]

[ ah, he looks so handsome in eorzean garb!! much better than that hot topic mess he wore before tbh. look at all that man cleavage!! alisaie smiles, he is looking far more like the man she knows now that he is clean and dressed, even in foreign clothing with his hair all a mess. she always liked it better this way, anyway, all loose and fluffy and not looking like a chocobo's backside.

eyeing the slimy, filthy water as it drains - ]

Oh, you can be sure that I will not.

[ alisaie can tolerate much more stink than he can, but she has her limits, and he was pretty crusty. but now that he is no longer untouchable.. she slips one hand into his, to lead him away to the alcoves filled with cots and bunks. ]

Come, then.

[ bedtime at last. ]

[ At last...this is the bedtime to end all bedtime, a bedtime he has been looking forward to for months. Of all the things he missed about her, sleeping beside her was one he had missed the most. The nights in their time apart were long and cold and lonely, as he's certain they were for her, too. At least he had Pea to comfort him, while Alisaie had no such reassurance.

But now, now, all of that is behind them. They are together again, and he squeezes her hand in is as they make their way to the cots. It may not be glamorous, but he's slept on far worse, and anything would feel better than hard ground right now. ]

What d'you say we sleep...oh, six weeks or so?

[ Neither of them would last that long, but it sounds nice in theory, doesn't it? ]

[ the king bedtime, the bedtime prime, the only bedtime that will ever matter in their lives. incredible. alisaie is also bone tired, which makes bedtime a draw, and he certainly must be too. the bunks, like everything else here, are built for hard use and not for luxury, but the thin mattresses will serve him far better than the harsh sands would have, and the blankets, at least, are thick to ward off the night's desert chill. alisaie leads them into a tiny alcove only large enough to contain the bed with only a little standing room. ]

Now that just sounds like a tease, if you ask me.

[ she says, sitting at the edge of the bed and taking both of his hands now into hers. her voice is gentle. ]

Come now, get some rest.

[ She's never said sweeter words to him. They sound absolutely perfect in his ears. At last, a chance to rest...glamorous it may not be, but hell, he'd take the sand if it meant sleeping next to her. The bed is just a bonus.

Without a moment of hesitation, Prompto slips onto the bed next to her, leaning into her side, and bumping his nose to her own. Pea, who has been trotting along at their heels, hops up next to them, circling a few times before settling down in her customary spot at the foot of the bed.

Just like old times... ]

Hey...Alisaie?

[ prompto lays behind her, and pea as well, curling up comfortably at the foot of the bed, and all at once it is as if.. nothing has changed, no time has passed at all, everything between them is normal. the same. it is both comforting and eerie at once, like waking from a long sleep not knowing if the thoughts in your head are real, or the residue of the night's dream. for a moment all she can do is watch him in weary, muted wonder.

until he calls her name, and gods, she has missed the shape of that word in his mouth. alisaie, he says, as if he is only asking her what she would like for supper, or calling her to look at something on his phone. simple. easy. familiar. at last she pulls away her boots so she can lie beside him, curled on her side, the curtain sweeping closed behind her to enclose them in this safe and private little space.

fluttering her gaze up to his, alisaie meets his gaze, smiling softly. ]

Hm?

[ They fall back into their old patterns so easily, that it's remarkable that they have been separated for so long. But even if it had been longer, if it had been years instead of only months, their hearts would not have forgotten the shapes of one another, where they fit into each other's lives. For how complicated and unreal this all is, it is also...so very, very simple, at its core, and that's why Prompto knows he has nothing to worry about.

Leaning back onto his pillow and scooching close enough that he can brush her bangs from her eyes, he presses a soft, warm, lingering kiss to her mouth, the sensation sweet and fulfilling in ways he cannot even begin to describe. ]

I love you.

[ It's but a whisper, ushered in the private, warm space between them, a space that is so very, very good to occupy again at last. ]

[ at first she does not answer - she only closes the gap between them once more to kiss him again, moving her mouth over his slowly, with purpose. she can better appreciate it now that the feverish deluge of emotion has passed, now that they are cleaned and rested and comfortable, relaxed in their private little alcove. she can taste his mouth and feel his lips, remembering the familiar texture of them, the pressure, and just how easily they can kiss one another, as easy as breathing.

at last she draws away, but only just, close enough still that their lips brush with every word. slipping her arms over his shoulders and curling them around his neck, alisaie curls in close, touching her brow to his, slipping her fingers into the damp hair at the nape of his neck. ]

I love you, too.

[ she murmurs, and it is all she needs to say, the only thing that matters. her eyes close, and she hums low in her throat, her eyelids fluttering closed, pea's heavy head coming to rest against her ankles. ]

[ It's all either of them need to say, and in spite of how thrilled he is to be here at last, as much as he wants to cherish every moment that he can touch her and hold her, he is simply too exhausted to stay awake for much longer. The moment is too warm, too sweet, too perfect for that.

So instead, he just winds his arms securely around her, to keep her near even as they sleep, one leg swinging over her own to tangle them comfortably together.

It's only then that he lets himself begin to drift off to sleep, with the warmth and the scent of her all about him.

At last, he's kept his promise, and he can rest. ]

[ alisaie does not expect to sleep so deeply. this day has been long and emotional, she had thought she might lie awake staring at his face, listening to him breathe, but in the end she is too weary, and it is not long at all before alisaie falls into a deep sleep that she does not stir from until long after the rays of the morning sun have begun to creep in around the edges of the curtain. in fact, it isn't until the pesky light strikes her eyelids that she begins to rouse, her eyelids heavy as she blinks once, twice, and remembers.

a soft gasp parts her lips.

he is here. he is still here. the previous day had not been a simple fever dream, a wish on her mind, but reality, strong and present and true. he is before her eyes, half asleep, beautiful, perfect, just as she remembered, and pea is warm at her feet, just as solid, just as alive. ]

Good morning.

[ she murmurs, groggy, while her gaze moves over his face, over every shape and plane and freckle, and the words that come next are sudden, unbidden, spilling from her lips like a breath. ]

.. marry me.

[ It's the kind of sleep that pulls him in so deeply that by the time he starts to wake, it seems as though he's been asleep for weeks, and for how bone-tired he had been, he wouldn't be halfway surprised. There are few things he would rather do than sleep now that he's finally made it to his destination.

...But those few things demand he be awake, since the all involve Alisaie, and speaking of which, she's finally begun to stir, rousing him out of his half-awake stupor. He meets her gaze with a warm smile of his own, ready to answer her greeting, thrilled to be able to at last wake up next to her again. It feels so good, so right, so perfect.

...Of course, before he can respond, the last words he could have possibly expected from her tumble from her lips, and you can bet that sure as hell wakes him right up. Did he...could he possibly have heard that right? Is he still dreaming? He has to be dreaming. The last time he'd brought up the direction of their relationship, she hadn't wanted to pursue the conversation even remotely, and yet now, now she just...

His breath leaves him in a rush, eyes wide, as he sits up halfway, peering down at her from beneath a taut brow. Please hold... ]

Wh-wh...Ali —

[ His heart thunders in his chest, beating loud in his ears. Is this really happening? ]

...A-are you...are you sure?

[ he is not wrong. alisaie has resisted the advancement of their relationship at every turn, from the very first moment their attraction began, to the very end, before they left lunatia behind.

yet despite all odds, despite all evidence pointing to the contrary, despite how completely impossible it is.. he was right. somehow, in some way that she cannot even begin to understand, he is here, here, with her, pulled across time by the invisible yet indestructible thread that leads between their hearts. she had not believed it, that it would be possible, and yet here they are. here he is, and the night is passed, but he remains, he did not drift away like the sands on the wind, he was not a sweet, lovely dream while she slept. he was here, remains here, and at last she can perhaps begin to allow herself to believe that.. mayhaps they will never be separated, that he was right when he said that somehow, always, they will find one another.

but his clearly gobsmacked expression brings a grin to her face that she cannot suppress, and rather than answer right away alisaie leans forward, pressing tightly against him with her arms wound round his neck, and kisses him warm and good and deep right on his gross morning breath mouth. her breath is perfect ofc because she is an elf and elfs cannot stink. ]

Yes.

[ she murmurs, her mouth still curved in a smile against his lips. ]

You've no choice in the matter.

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