[Finished] Testing the waters

[Saaga Sun]

She was bracing herself for disappointment. Sure she did not believe that he would outright deny his words or say something rude to her, who would even do that during a scene such as this? But she was looking for hints of doubt, hesitation, avoiding her eyes, something small like that which would clue her in on the real meaning behind his words. The meaning being that he was just sweet talking her and not really serious. It was close to miraculous how fast her mind worked to expect the worst outcome and then buffer her up for it, even during such a heated moment. Narye could most likely notice her losing some of her focus though.

So when he rose up slightly to look at her, Saaga was fully determined not let anything he did or said rattle her. But what he said was not what she expected. She looked at his smiling face, his eyes especially and felt relieved just by his looking at her. The word he said to assure her made her feel positively giddy.

That uncomfortable knot in her stomach seemed to have turned into a swarm of butterflies, happily flying about making her feel excited and nervous in a good kind of way. His smile was also contagious, for she found herself smiling as well even as he kissed her. She tangled her fingers in his hair, mussing it up even worse than she already had. She had always thought he looked most attractive when he was straight out of bed, like a bird with ruffed up feathers. Of course she had not had a chance to witness that too many times.

She framed his face with her hands and pulled away from the kiss. She looked at him for a moment, feeling her heart beating fast and then kissed him on the forehead and cheek, leaning closer to his ear.

“I love you Narye,” she said softly, almost purring. She felt warm and happy all around, a nostalgic feeling she hoped to keep for a long while.

[Narye Matsuya]

Those words sent warmth and energy through Narye like the Avatar himself had re-energuzed him through some super fancy Bending techniques. A very small part of Narye had been wary that Saaga would not have taken his confession so well, for some unknown reason, perhaps just general anxiety. But seeing and feeling her react so elated, so passionately, was almost indescribable. After so many troubles and hurdles for the two of them, here they were, finally saying and admitting what they felt.

Narye could only hold her tight as she said she loved him. But the energy she had given him, both in spirit and in body, wouldn't allow him to simply hold her to express his love.

By the time they were done, shades of pink and orange were just beginning to peek over the horizon. The spirit was willing and eager, but the body had been spent. Narye was sure they had fallen asleep for a bit on the rooftop, holding onto each other for warmth and simply to enjoy each other's touch. Their clothes were dirty from the rooftop and themselves, and they'd be feeling the pain of using such a hard surface later, but it was all so many small distractions.

Nothing about the night they met at the Masquerade Ball could have pointed to something like this happening. Sure there had been that spark that night, but actual love blossuming from it? That could not have been so easily predicted. Between their age difference, their own personal baggage, and the distractions of their lives, it all seemed to say it was only going to be a one-time fling. It wasn't perfect, but it was theirs. Narye could not have asked for anything more from Saaga, and he was fine with that.

Narye loved her, and she loved him. That was enough.