Noctis' eyelids twitched before lazily opening. His blue gaze was somewhat hazy from the effects of sleep and he had to blink several times to clear it.
The first thing he felt was warmth. One he had never felt before. It came from the soft body resting on top of his. The lips of the prince of Lucis curved into a smile when he remembered what had happened the night before in that same exact bed. He knew she was awake when he noticed how the tips of her hair tickled his back, around his shoulder blades. He also felt her fine, snowy fingertips caressing his tanner skin. It was splendid, the touch of her. The touch of Tifa Lockhart.
"Tifa" he purred her name with a husky voice.
The monk, in response, placed a tender, soft kiss on his shoulder.
"Good morning, sleepyhead" she whispered against his skin and then continued to kiss his back devotedly.
Noctis lay still, enjoying her displays of affection. The terrace doors were open letting a soft, cool breeze blow into the room. The thin white curtains billowed in time with that breeze. The first thin golden rays of sunlight painted the wooden floor. There were no sounds from the outside so Noctis assumed that everyone was still asleep. It wasn't surprising after the great party they held the night before.
It had been a long time since Noctis had felt this good. This relaxed.
Tifa continued to kiss his skin, gradually moving down his spine until her delicate lips brushed against a rougher patch of flesh. She slowly pulled away, her hands still caressing his sides. There, in the middle of his back, was a large scar. She remembered noticing it at night when Noctis was making love to her, but now she saw it for what it was. It looked years old but somehow seemed recent. Her fingertips began to outline it. A tingle made Noctis stir slightly. He opened his eyes, noticing the girl's silent questioning. There was a paused silence in which the boy gathered the courage to talk about it. He had never done it with anyone before. But somehow... Somehow he wanted to talk about it. No. Not just talk about it. Tell about it. Tell Tifa. To the girl he had already decided he would open his heart to.
"A Marilith attacked me when I was a kid" he finally muttered.
"A Marilith?" Tifa repeated without understanding.
"Snake-bodied women" he explained.
Tifa then nodded "A Naga"
"Yes" the boy sighed against the pillow, again feeling her hands caress his wound. A new tingle jolted him and she stopped.
"Does it hurt?" she asked him, pulling her hands away several inches.
"No at all" he denied "In fact I like it very much" a smile tugged at his lips as he felt Tifa's fingertips touch his scar once again.
The young Caelum then continued with his story.
"When she attacked me, she didn't just physically wound me. The cut affected me more deeply" He closed his eyes tightly "The wound was infected with a plague we call Starscourge" Tifa did not know what that implied but the first thing that came to her mind was the Geostigma because it was also a disease that had spread like a plague. Just as Noctis' Marilith was a Naga to her, she supposed she could treat the Starscourge as a synonym for Geostigma.
Noctis swallowed saliva before continuing "I was in a coma for several weeks and when I woke up I couldn't walk"
Tifa's fingers paused for a moment. That story was like a parallel to hers, who had also fallen into a coma after falling from Mt. Nibel. She had not been incapacitated but she did remember spraining her ankle. She did remember her father, angry but even more worried about his little Pumpkin. A sad smile appeared on her lips as she remembered the tender nickname her dad used to call her.
Now she understood why Noctis walked so strangely at times. Why he used to feel that area with his hands after a long day of traveling. Then her palms pressed gently against his lower back, massaging it tenderly and carefully.
He, despite feeling vulnerable, was relaxed. Not even a single masseuse had been able to ease his pain. They had exacerbated it, in fact. Tifa was the first who seemed to know how and where to touch him. His muscles were relaxing and the focus of pain in his back was gradually diminishing. At no time did she make a wrong move or exert too much pressure. It felt heavenly. The boy reasoned in his head that it would probably be because of her martial arts education. The knowledge she had about the human body was much greater than average.
She really was the perfect girl for him. The only one he would let touch him.
He let out a long but guttural groan laden with pleasure that made Tifa's sad smile turn into a happier one. She loved taking care of people. And now, after all they had been through, it was clear to her that Noctis had become her most precious person. The one she wanted to love and take care of.
"How can you still be in pain?" Tifa asked him even though she already suspected what the answer was "The Starscourge?"
Noctis nodded against the pillow.
"It took deep roots in me. So deep that not even Tenebrae's white magic could heal me" he explained and then opened his eyes "That's why I get so exhausted when I abuse my power. It's... As if the Starscourge consumes me" he sighed.
Tifa then tilted her head, realizing something.
"You're not a sleeper" she whispered, now understanding the reason for the long hours of sleep he seemed to need.
Noctis sketched a smile before turning to stare at her with his still misty ocean eyes. She looked so beautiful sitting there, her very long dark brown hair falling freely down her slender back. The golden morning light touched her snowy skin, making it look like the purest porcelain. Her sunset-red eyes watching him made him feel so warm. But what really set him on fire was the fact that she was completely naked. Her large, round breasts looked so beautiful squeezed between her arms. The small, pink nipples crowning them were the icing on the cake.
At night he had seen her in the dim, cool, silvery light of the moon and stars. The curves of her getting lost in the chiaroscuro of the night, like a dream. But now he could see her perfectly. And she looked like a true and apotheosic promise. A paradise. The only thing that gave her away as an ordinary woman at that moment was the large scar across her chest.
Noctis parted his lips and eyelids as he saw what in the darkness of the night had gone unnoticed. His gaze slid from her wound to her flustered yet unsure face. She still felt shy being naked in front of him but she was also scared. She had seen how he had been surprised to see that she also had marks from the past and she was afraid he would find them ugly. After all, she had seen how much Noctis liked her breasts and she feared that now he would not find them as attractive as before.
"I have wounds too" she mumbled "I know it looks awful, but..." Tifa fell silent as Noctis sat up in bed then kissed her ardently. His hand curled around the back of her neck, drawing her against him as he pulled her body close to him with his other arm.
The brunette immediately surrendered to the boy's passion, snuggling against him and reciprocating the demanding kiss. His soft lips, after the night, tasted warmer and saltier. She even felt a slight sour taste. The minty freshness was gone and now there was something much more natural and human. That alone made her want to deepen the kiss with him even more. She didn't want the prince, she wanted the man. Noctis moaned with pleasure when he felt her give herself to him in that way and did not hesitate to touch her tongue with his when they met. The burst of sweetness from her was no longer intense but her mouth still tasted like the sweetest, most exquisite thing in the world. Noctis loved that kiss, so intimate and close. One that only further cemented the feelings they had for each other.
When they parted, he looked at her with such dangerous intensity that Tifa held her breath.
"Nothing about you looks awful, Tifa. Nothing" he said to her before he began kissing her neck. She let out a ragged gasp, her hands moving up his arms to caress his round shoulders and then up to his jet hair.
"You're fucking gorgeous" she heard him say with a husky voice as he continued to shower her skin with a trail of kisses. She tilted her head to one side, giving him better access.
"Noctis..." she gasped his name, clutching several black strands of his already messy hair between her slender fingers.
He felt her pull him toward her and couldn't help but smirk against her flesh. His excitement grew even greater as he felt the enormous desire she felt for him. He placed the palm of his hand on her chest and slowly made her lie down over the white silky sheets, spreading her legs apart so he could get on top of her. Their bodies fit together perfectly. As if they were made to do so.
Tifa arched as she felt his mouth press against the start of her scar, a few inches above her breasts. Certain strands of his hair tickled her, making her skin crawl and her body to barely squirm. Noctis' hot mouth followed the scar as if it were a beautiful trail, filling it with soft, attentive kisses. Occasionally he used the top of his tongue to lick her sensitive skin.
"Oh... Noct" he heard her moan.
Her bare thighs pressed against his hips. Noctis lowered his pelvis at that, causing his genitals to rub against hers. He then gasped against her skin, feeling his hard and throbbing erection. For the moment he ignored his own desires, wanting to concentrate only on her.
"Tifa..." he replied to her, moving his mouth to one of her nipples to play with it.
Tifa looked down to see him sucking on her small nipple, her thoughts clouding over as the shimmering red color of her irises turned to a deeper crimson one. Noticing the weight of her gaze, Noctis looked up to watch her. Their eyes met. In them there was only the most primitive lust but also a strong and fervent desire for love. Noctis would not let her think he disliked that scar. If anything, that she had it had only awakened in him the need to adore her even more for how strong she was. Considering the size and shape of the wound, it could have killed her.
He ran the tip of his wet tongue around her hardened nipple, following the rim of the aureole, their gazes still locked together. He liked to watch the trembling of her pink lips and the way irregular breaths came out of her mouth.
Meanwhile, Tifa could see almost in slow motion how the intense blue color of Noctis' eyes turned into a blood-red one. She knew then that last night she had not imagined it. The boy's heavenly irises took on that almost diabolical hue not only when fighting but also when aroused. She witnessed how a pulsation ran through those incredible orbs, making them glow for a few moments before returning to that dense and darker color.
It was something impressive, worthy of admiration and it also revealed to her how horny he felt. How bad he wanted her.
The realization of this made her crotch, already moistened, flooded. A trickle of sticky liquid began to lazily slide between her tender and rosy folds, causing Tifa's blush to increase even more.
Noctis' attentive eyes took it all in. It was very easy to read her. Or maybe she didn't want to keep secrets from him. He slowly kissed her underboob, his body rocking against hers, making them both moan.
Tifa was wet and Noctis eager. Before he asked her to let him make love to her, Noctis heard her beg him in a soft yet needy plea.
"Noct, please..." her sweet voice echoed in his mind, becoming all that mattered to him.
She really was made for him. The other side of the same coin.
Tifa soon felt him penetrate her. Her tight wet walls embraced him gladly, allowing themselves to be completely filled. The brunette let out an intense cry of pleasure, letting herself be taken as if she already belonged to him. Because she was.
He didn't stop until he fit his entire manhood inside her, his flesh rubbing against her pulsating pink clit, making her throb with pure pleasure. Her back arched, her flat yet toned belly meeting his hard abs. Noctis gasped, moving up her body until he was level with her flushed, beautiful face.
He took a moment to keep that image of her in his memory, as he had been doing for the past few weeks. He wanted to treasure her. All the little details that made her who she was.
Tifa's crimson eyes collided with Noctis' bloodshot ones. Her breasts heaved as she gasped, her thighs relaxing to let him thrust into her deepest core.
He let out a slight grunt before closing the little distance that separated them. Strands of his hair fell across her forehead before the two joined their mouths in a wet dance that harmonized with the connection below.
The back-and-forth was not long in coming. Noctis rocked against her deliciously, making sure to rub and drag his whole body against Tifa's. He knew she loved it. The continuous contact. The pressure of his hard, masculine body against her round, feminine one.
Her hands slid to his shoulder blades and there they squeezed his flesh, her nails lightly scraping him.
Tifa really longed for proximity, warmth and attention. For the deepest intimacy. She did so in such a way that he had easily come to the conclusion that no one had ever loved her as she needed. As she deserved. And he desired to change that. He wanted to give her everything he had. And he wanted her to do the same with and for him.
He leaned on his own strong forearms after pushing her dense hair away so as not to hurt her. It was those small but thoughtful gestures that drove Tifa completely crazy about him. She felt cared for and protected. Loved and safe. Both in bed and in battle.
"Noctis, I love you" she gasped before he silenced her with an intense kiss. He had her completely imprisoned under his larger frame. Tifa couldn't have been more exuberant. She hugged him and pulled him tight against her, wrapping her long, creamy legs around his hips. He growled at that, loving the way she always clung to him. As if she needed him.
The rhythm of his thrusts increased, causing them to break the kiss. Noctis, panting against her swollen lips, murmured "I love you too, Tifa" he reciprocated her earlier words. Tifa let out erratic whimpers, wanting him to take as much as he wanted from her. Noctis would take everything. She was his. Only his.
His eyes flashed again for a pulse, revealing his possessive thoughts.
"Fucking gorgeous" he repeated right against her ear his earlier words an instant before his onslaught began to tear more and high pitched screams of pleasure from her.
Tifa embraced him and he gave himself to her, burying his face in the crook of her neck to pound her harder, willing to take them both to a delicious orgasm. Tifa felt herself burning in the most exquisite and lulling fire, his penetrations making her lose her mind more and more. His hard manhood insisted again and again and again. His grunts were intermingled with her moans, the bed shaking to the same rhythm as their unbridled bodies. His arms encircled her possessively, enclosing her as if she were in a cage. In his cage.
And Tifa didn't want to be anywhere else.
Then, from her lips came a sound that brought Noctis to a climax. The bliss he felt made his head spin even though he was lying on the bed above her. Her body jolted beneath him as his white load filled her wet and warm insides. She cuddled needily against him and he squeezed her instantly.
They could barely breathe within that constricting embrace but neither was going to break it.
The girl moaned suddenly when she noticed the sensual swaying of Noctis' hips, an action that prolonged her already perfect orgasm. While doing so he devotedly kissed her neck, knowing full well that he would not come out of her for quite a while. He liked being inside her. Too much. He kept up his pelvic thrusts until she let out a final purr of intense satisfaction. Tifa's orgasm had ended and he could finally smile proudly because he was capable of pleasing a woman like her.
The two remained static for a moment in that embrace until their bodies finally lost their tension. Noctis' full weight clutched Tifa against the bed, her arms around his back, still tightening around him. A thin layer of sweat pearled the faces and bodies of both but neither cared. Tifa's unbridled heartbeat bounced against Noctis's accelerated one, her big breasts squeezed under his firm pecs.
Then the two melted into each other's embrace, a beautiful stillness filling the entire room.
Under the eyelids, Noctis' irises returned to their pure, clean, intense and crystalline blue color. Likewise, Tifaʼs hues lost that dark crimson undertone so they shone bright as two rubies once again.
The monk's hands went into his jet-black hair to caress it gently. Noctis snuggled against her burning body, keeping his eyes closed but his lips still parted to let out soft pants.
"I love that you do that" he murmured.
"Uh?" Tifa absentmindedly traced circles on his scalp.
"This very thing" he grinned "Your caresses in my hair" he rubbed his face against her as a cat would do.
Tifa smiled at that, continuing her massage as she slowly began to feel an urgency she had never felt before. The urge to talk about her scar and her past just as Noctis had done. The urgency to reopen that wound but this time with the desire to heal it. To let out her pain. There was no pressure. No fear of being judged or harmed. She just wanted to let it out. For herself. And she did.
"It was Sephiroth who gave me this wound six years ago" the words left her lips with a slight tremor.
Noctis' grin vanished when he heard her say that.
"Sephiroth?" he repeated, now understanding several things.
"Yeah" the girl weakly nodded, feeling Noctisʼ muscles tense on top of her.
She knew he had already met him once. What she didn't know were the thoughts that had begun to flood Noctis' mind. If he had known that this villain had harmed Tifa, he would have attacked him to the death without hesitation. He wished he could meet him again so he could take out all the rage he felt on him. Still feeling the bite of anger, the boy pushed those feelings aside to listen to his lover. She was much more important now.
"He was what in my world we call a SOLDIER" Tifa mused, keeping her eyes open for fear of seeing his face more clearly if she closed them "He was supposed to protect us. Help us. But... I don't know. He went frenzy and murdered in cold blood all the inhabitants of my village, Nibelheim" her words trailed a bit now.
Noctis held her tighter, making her feel she was not alone. That he had her. That was enough for her to continue.
"He burned everything. The houses, the establishments, the watertower... My entire home was reduced to ashes in a single night as if... As if it never existed"
Tifa's words made Noctis relive the moment when Prompto read in the newspaper that Insomnia had fallen under Niflheim's fire. To what extent did they share the same traumas? The same pain?
Tifa took a deep breath of air before continuing.
"Sephiroth killed my father" a lump formed in her throat. She would never recover from the pain she felt when she saw her father die "He tried to stop him but he couldn't... He just couldn't stand up to Shinra's best soldier" her eyes glazed over "He only wanted to protect our home. Protect me"
Noctis lifted his head and watched the tears slide down her cheeks. He captured them with his lips, stroking her flushed complexion with his thumb. Tifa snuggled against him and he took it upon himself to offer her a place to shelter. His chest was the perfect place for her. There she gasped and hiccuped, trying to undo the lump in her throat to continue.
The prince held her, pressing her against him, stroking her long dark brown hair and her sleek back gently.
"I understand your father" he whispered "Mine was the same" he smooched her on the crown of her head repeatedly "They both knew what would happen to them but still fought for what they loved and cared for" He remembered old Cid making him understand where his dad had come from.
Tifa nodded against his chest, somehow finding it easier to keep talking now. Perhaps it was because she felt that Noctis truly knew how she felt. They both wished the other had not known that pain, but within the bad, sharing the same wounds, they could understand and heal each other.
"I got so angry" the monk gasped "I was only fifteen and hatred got the best of me" her arms hugged Noctis as well as her legs, still feeling him inside her "I just wanted revenge" she sobbed weakly, feeling Noctis nod his head.
He didn't have the chance to kill Drautos or, as he was well known in the empire of Niflheim, General Glauca. Nyx did it for him. Even so, Noctis never stopped feeling some sorrow for not having been able to kill his father's murderer.
"Obviously I couldn't do anything" Tifa recalled, more tears staining her beautiful yet contracted face "Sephiroth stopped me and cut me off. He threw me down the stairs until I hit the floor and... He left me there, probably leaving me for dead" Those words made Noctis feel a primordial terror.
He could not even imagine Tifa being seriously injured. His desire to protect and care for her grew stronger and stronger. They were both warriors fighting on the side of the goddess Cosmos against the villains who supported the god Chaos. They were together in that world. They were destined companions. Perhaps even fated lovers, Noctis thought, for their souls were impossibly similar and compatible.
He would fight to his last breath for her. He would never let anyone harm her one more time. Never. He would kill anyone who tried to. Anyone.
He felt her shift against him, taking him out from his thoughts. She swallowed with difficulty "If I survived it was because of the help of many good people" she remembered her martial arts teacher, Zangan, the Shinra soldiers who cared for her by providing a helicopter and later the nurses and Doctor Sheiran.
"They saved my life" she murmured "But I guess I can never get rid of this scar" Noctis now made her pull away from him a little so that she could lift her head and meet his eyes.
"That scar is part of you. Of who you are. And even if it hurts, it's proof of what you overcame" he stroked her smooth, moisted cheeks "It's okay" he assured her and a smile lit up his face as he saw her smile too.
"You are right" she agreed "Itʼs part of us and our story" she saw him nod and then he pecked her on the nose sweetly.
Despite the pain and suffering, both had survived. None could escape their pasts but could learn how to live with them. They were strong. Their scars were just proof of it.
Tifa felt as if a huge burden had disappeared. For the first time she had unburdened herself about her past. And the nicest thing was that she had done it with a boy who understood her better than anyone else could. With a boy who had told her just what she needed to hear.
Her hand caressed his cheek gently, silently thanking the goddess Cosmos for bringing them together. He was so precious, inside and outside. His calloused hands, though capable of wielding a great number of weapons, could caress with great gentleness. His heart, though coated with a hard layer, was kind, loyal and loving. His voice, though husky, could pronounce wonderful and tender words.
Tifa could not help but always blush when she examined the features of his face for he was easily the most handsome and attractive boy she had ever seen.
In those precise moments, her cheeks had reddened. The prince saw it and stroked them with his knuckles. He would never cease to find it adorable the way she never seemed to get used to watching him. Unable to restrain himself, Noctis hovered over her to begin kissing her softly and slowly, finishing removing all the pain from her.
"Thank you" Tifa whispered between his kisses.
Noctis shook his head and looked at her tenderly. She got lost in his stunning ocean eyes. Only both of them existed.
"Thank you" he returned her words and they both laughed softly, accomplices in that intimate and unique relationship.
They lay in that bed of white sheets, loving, healing, kissing and caressing each other until they heard voices and movement downstairs.
"I think we can go for breakfast now" Tifa said, kissing his sexy jawline.
He nodded but didn't move. He wanted to be there just a little bit longer. Treasure the moment. He did not need to tell her with words what he was thinking. She could easily sense it in the way he kept on hugging her tightly. His feelings matched hers. She couldnʼt believe she had found someone like him. Someone with whom she could truly speak both without using words and by doing so. He was her soulmate. She had found the love of her life in the middle of the greatest war.
Their heartbeats intertwined, beating at the same rhythm.
They both lay on the bed for a little while, Tifa resting on top of him while he smoothed her ashen brown hair and looked out the open terrace windows. The skies were crystal blue and clear. It would be a nice day. Although to be exact, for Noctis and Tifa, any day would be good as long as they had each other. They just needed each other. That was enough for both of them to be happy. And the two would fight tooth and nail to stay that way forever. It was a promise they both made to themselves. And neither of them would break that promise, ever.