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Joshua feels like he is dreaming, his mind swirling in colors of fire that bleed into the color of the sea. He feels like he is floating, the waves ebbing and flowing to the pulsing rhythm of his chest: slow and calm. He doesn’t think he has ever felt so at peace, the weight of the realm melting away from his shoulders. He lays there, the water soothing the pain that’s corrupted his body and drifting it further away from consciousness. He knows this isn’t his time to leave, but if this is what death feels like, he’d be more than happy to embrace it when what's done is done.
As he drifts into the sea, he picks up on a soft hum. It is a delicate, smooth hum that would draw any man in, the notes dancing delicately against the water’s surface. It starts to invade his senses, tantalizing his heart beat as he recognizes the sweet tone. The chords become even clearer, and he smiles because he recognizes the sounds, as it makes his heart beat a little faster. You are here.
It’s as if the voice brings him back to reality, slowly stirring his brain to engage in his senses. First thing that hits him is the smell and taste of the sea, salt wafting up his nose and dissolving on his taste buds. The next thing he senses is the temperature difference of his skin, his upper body cool while the rest of him stays warm. He also feels something warm in his left palm, soothing motions caressing the skin. Before he can open his eyes, his ears perk up at the soothing melody that’s washed him ashore. It stirs his soul, comforting him as he knows you are by his side. And at last, his eyes slowly open, blinking a couple times as they focus and as they do the softest sigh releases from his lungs.
His sigh makes you look at him, and the slightest smile appears on your face. “Thank Greagor you are alright.”
He takes in your appearance. The usual attire of mixed belts and fabrics was forgone and a white tunic and white underpants remain. The light from the lantern on the side table highlights your face, making you glow with eyes twinkling. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought there was an angel in his presence from the Founder Himself. You have never looked more beautiful. But what he can’t stop staring at are your lips. The shade of the pinkest rose and what looks to be the softness of its petals, the slight parting of them only making him want to sit up and kiss you with the gentlest care.
A motion in front of his face shocks him from his daze and the sweet song of your laugh enters his ears. “You must really have taken a hit if I’m leaving you speechless.”
Joshua groans and tries to sit up, only for you to push him back down gently. “Wait a little bit. You have just woken up.”
“I’m okay, my lady. I promise.” He rasps, his throat breaking through the cobwebs that accumulated during his slumber. He starts to get up again and this time you help him, placing your right hand on his upper back and the other on his right arm to gently lift him up. He places his feet firmly on the floor, leaning forward to gain his bearings. He feels your weight beside him on the bed as you rub his back, soothing him as he takes deep breaths to calm his dizzy brain.
He takes in the surroundings, noticing the small chamber he’s in. He could feel the motions of the room, a shallow up and down signaled from the calming sea. He looks up, taking the hand that settled in your lap into his hands. “Are we still on the Enterprise?”
You nod your head. “We are yes.”
“What time of day is it?” He inquires.
“It’s dusk. We are heading towards the outskirts of Ash. We believe Clive and Jill are there waiting for us.”
“Wait, they didn’t make it to the ship?” Joshua asks, worry seeping into his mind at his brother and childhood friend’s whereabouts.
You shake your head. “What is the last thing you remember, Joshua?”
He ponders for a moment. He remembers fighting Odin, trying to keep him distracted while his brother rescued Jill. He remembers Odin using his blade to cut him down, which he remembers blocking, but everything after is a blur.
He feels you grab both his hands with yours, causing him to look at you. “It’s okay. You were unconscious from the impact of Odin’s blade. Want to know something crazy though? His blade quite literally cut the sea in half. The Einherjar succumbed to the sea’s trenches, while Mid was able to move the Enterprise away from it in time.” Joshua feels you squeeze his hands. “Clive and Jill were still on Barnabas’s ship, but we believe they escaped due to some clues Gav found. We are heading to a secluded part of Ash right now as Gav also saw fire smoke. He thinks they may have made camp there to wait for us.”
Joshua breathes out a soft laugh. “Sounds like I missed most of the expedition.”
“It wasn’t anything we all couldn’t handle. I’m just glad you are okay. Everyone was worried about you. I was very worried. I don’t know what I would have done if something worse had happened.” You admit. He sees something change in your eyes. Worry? Affection? Care? He couldn’t quite tell. All he knows is that it is stirring his soul with the one emotion that plagues his mind. Love.
“I promise I feel okay. A little tired perhaps, but none the worse for wear.” He reassures, but his heart is fluttering at your admittance that you were worried about him. It isn’t a shock, per say, as the two of you had grown quite close. But still, it warms his heart all the same.
He has never been so bewitched by someone before. During his travels with Jote, he had the privilege of being healed by you. You were a traveling healer, going far and wide across Storm to attend to the sick and injured as war and the Blight continued to rage on. You had found them alongside abandoned ruins on the Crystal Belt, and even with his hesitation, you insisted. He cannot lie, he couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so strong as you worked your magic. For the longest time, he could feel your fingertips graze his chest, leaving a lasting imprint in his soul. There were nights where he wondered where you had gone off to, and if you were safe. He truly didn’t believe he would see you again. Until he did.
He remembered waking up in the infirmary at the Hideaway one day and he believed his eyes were playing tricks on him as he saw you there in front of him. It wasn’t until Clive had informed him that you were called, as you were the only white mage in the entire realm and a true proponent to the cause. You had stayed with him, working on him with different healing spells. He often thought about how similar your healing abilities were to his. Yours may not be as strong as his in mending, but the prowess in your variety of abilities was beyond anything he could achieve. You were simply impressive.
You had explained to him how magery has become a lost art, and many pieces of literature of both black and white magery have been destroyed. You came from a line of white mages, keeping tradition alive in secret, which made it harder to teach potential apprentices. This ended up being the reason you stayed at the Hideaway once he was back to the state of health he was at previously: to teach Tarja and other people helping in the infirmary tricks and potions to better aid people.
During your time at the Hideaway, Joshua got very close to you. The both of you would often eat together before the day starts. The both of you would go to the Shelves, so he could find information on the book he’s writing and so you could find books on spellcraft, herbs, and medicine. His favorite thing that the both of you did together, however, was when you both would meet on the Boarding Deck to catch up on the day's highs and lows and everything in between. One night in particular, what he bore witness to would be ingrained in his mind forever. You were in a white gown, singing softly to yourself as you danced in a small circle, twirling and smiling in your own little world. He has always seen you as a carefree spirit, but to see it soar like that was breathtaking. When you noticed him there, the blush that rose to your cheeks and the pout of your lips made his heart go ablaze. He remembers it so vividly, as it was the first time he came to the conclusion that he was in love with you, and how badly he wanted to take you in his arms to claim your lips with his own; the only woman who can break his focus on the dreaded reality set before him.
“Do you mind if I check you over at least? I did initially but it’ll be easier now that you’re awake.”
Joshua nods. He watches you turn so your legs are criss-crossed on the bed. He shivers as your hands make contact with his body, the temperature contrast clashing deliciously as he lets you inspect him. Your touch is everywhere, running from his back to the front of his chest. One hand places against his lower back, while the other goes to his stomach, pushing against the sensitive flesh. It causes goosebumps to bloom across his skin. “Does it hurt when I push here?” He hears you ask. He shakes his head no, and you ask again when you push a different spot and the cycle repeats. You press your fingers against the flesh where his jawline and neck meet, feeling for his pulse.
“Your pulse rate is going crazy. Are you sure you aren’t feeling ill?” You inquire, placing your hand against his forehead to double check his temperature.
The urge to take you in his arms and love you the way you deserve is consuming his being. He clenches his fists, trying to control himself as your hands are still on him. He looks away, needing to regain his composure or he will surely snap. He isn’t one to not be in control of his actions, but the way you are looking at him and caring for him is more than his heart can take. He feels fingers on his jaw, pushing his head back to the object of his affection. Your other hand brushes the hair from his face, stroking the strands as you look at him. He senses something in your eyes, and his sense of control deteriorates further.
“What are you hiding from me, Joshua? You can tell me.” You smile, your lips seemingly more irresistible than before.
He gulps, eyes shifting back and forth from your eyes to your lips. He notices a shift in your expression, one that seems to put the pieces together of what is transpiring. The hands on his chin shifts slightly so your thumb grazes his lips, tracing the outline of them gently, causing his breath to stutter. It draws the smile on your face ten fold.
“I think I see the issue now.” You grin, continuing the motions with your thumb on his lower lip. “And I know just the remedy, however I need your permission.” You scoot closer to him, your knees hitting the side of his right thigh. Your other hand places itself on his neck, a gentle grasp as you look at him. “May I be your remedy, Joshua?”
“Please…” He whispers, his heart thumping like an earthquake: ready to crack at the seams. You lean your forehead against his, both of you taking the moment in before he feels your lips connect to his. A whimper leaves his lips, his heart set aflame from the way you kiss him. It is gentle, yet full of passion. It is a kiss that is a confession of love for one another; no words needed to be said to know that this is what you both feel.
He feels your tongue linger a little too long near the seam of his lips, and he lets his tongue capture yours, letting you know it is okay to deepen the kiss you both share. Your hands go to the back of his head, grasping at his strawberry blond hair. The feeling of your hands gently pulling his hair breaks the little control he was holding onto, and he wraps his arms around your waist to guide you onto his lap. Your knees are now on either side of his thighs as he grows more confident in the kiss, keeping his arms secured around your back so you stay balanced on him. He senses your tension, your full weight refusing to land on him. His right hand comes up to your cheek, caressing it as he releases your lips without breaking away fully. “I’m okay. You aren’t going to break me.”
His lips claim yours once more, and sighs in relief as your weight presses down onto his lap. Your arms wrap around his neck, and he groans as your chest goes flush with his. He can feel himself melting into you, the two of you becoming one as the kisses vary from heated passion to gentle ecstasy. Not even the strongest elixir could make him feel the way he is now. It is like he has ascended to the heavens with your heavenly embrace. To him, you truly are an angel.
The slightest grind of your hips against him makes him retaliate, his hips bucking up slightly into your covered heat. The sweetest moans slip from your lips, making him gladly swallow them as he continues his descent into a madness only you could create. It is your taste that could bring him to the brink of insanity.
You pull your lips away slowly, and Joshua’s first instinct is to chase back after them, the feeling of them disappearing causing him to grip you harder to make sure he isn’t dreaming again. His eyes open, and he smiles. This is real, he thought. This is heaven .
“Do you feel better, Joshua? Was that what you needed?” You whisper, your breath slowly returning to normal, hands now running up and down his naked chest to sooth the flame that burns bright from within.
He releases the gentlest laugh, his hands going to your sides as he goes up and down your form. “By the Founder, yes.” He places another kiss on your lips, needing more but holding back for your sake. He could kiss you forever, but at your own pace. He goes to lay down, pulling you with him. Your legs intertwine with his, hands still on his chest with fingers drawing pictures into the skin. He holds you tightly, needing you close to him. Now that he has you, he is going to ensure that it stays that way.
He kisses your forehead, lips lingering there as he makes his request. “Stay with me like this. For as long as you’ll have me.”
He feels you nod, placing a kiss to the flesh above his heart. “For all time.”
You both lay there in each other’s arms, confessions and kisses being shared as the morning progresses and the reality of the situation before the both of you starts to rear its ugly head. But at this moment, none of it matters.
Reality can wait.