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In one hand, the soft plush fabric of their favorite plushie, held close to their body.
In the other, the soft, warm flesh of their beloved’s hand, giving a gentle squeeze.
The air was hot, slightly damp, and it smelled of sea breeze and the remnants of the day’s hard work. As the pair of angels walked hand-in-hand across the boardwalk, their eyes wandered across the dimming horizon. The warm pinks of the summer evening gave way into the cool blues and purples of the oncoming night, and fortunately, cooler temperatures. Even dressed in their summer casuals, the two found themselves overheating rather frequently. It didn’t matter now, as the cool sea breezes began overtaking that heat, albeit with little vigor.
Jacksy had fun that day, but they were glad that they were finally leaving the noise of that old seaside amusement park. It was often just a little overwhelming for the little Feline. Exusiai didn’t mind the noise, but she understood Jacksy’s discontent.
Jacksy gently squeezed Exusiai’s hand in their own, and she responded with a gentle squeeze back. As they settled by the edge of the boardwalk, Jacksy felt their body relax, and their head leaned against Exusiai’s shoulder. They looked up at her, their mismatched eyes briefly locking with the angel’s, before the two blushed and turned their heads away.
“Today was nice, huh?” Exusiai murmured. “You seem like you had fun,”
“Yeah, I did,” Jacksy replied, their lips curling into a soft smile. “E-Even if I was scared of all the rides…”
“Hey, you did better this time than the last!” Exusiai chuckled. Jacksy let out a playfully unamused groan beneath their breath.
The breeze blew through the couple’s hair, a feeling Jacksy was all too used to, and one they never wished to avoid. Something about gazing out at the open sea, the wind blowing through their hair, made their body feel at ease. The comfort of Exusiai’s body heat beside them only made that feeling better.
Exusiai turned to Jacksy, giving them a gentle kiss on the forehead, lightly running her fingers along the edge of their halo. Jacksy appreciated the gesture, if their purrs were any sign. Their tail began swaying upright, almost with some sort of gentle rhythm to it. It gently brushed along Exusiai’s arm, making her let out a soft chuckle.
These quiet moments were truly special. It almost made them feel as if they were the only people in the world, blocking out the noise of the other park goers in favor of mutual silence and the crashing waves of the shore. It made them feel as if they were untouchable from any grief or sadness, always nestled in the warm blanket of each other’s company.
Nothing could get between these two love-struck angels.
Jacksy frequently became nigh unreachable when presented with scenes of open ocean. They would sit in the sand for hours without realizing it, their mind blank and clear of any grief. They wanted nothing more but to reach out to the water and clasp the ocean in their hands. Exusiai understood this part about Jacksy, too, and hardly dared to intrude on these moments. As Jacksy stared longingly out towards the open ocean, they could feel the heat of Exusiai’s hand gently clasping their own. They squeezed it back out of some natural instinct.
Minutes of Jacksy’s zoned-out silence persisted before they soon broke themself out of the trance, turning to face Exusiai as they offered themself for a kiss. Exusiai accepted, a feather-light touch along Jacksy’s jawline as she clasped their cheek, delivering a soft, sweet kiss to their lips. As Exusiai smiled down at them, her cheeks dimly flushed, her voice broke their silence.
“Hey, Jacksy, I’ve got an idea,” she said. “How about we go to the Ferris wheel before we call it a night? It’ll be super pretty at the top, I bet!”
Jacksy considered it for a moment. While, yes, the view would certainly be wonderful, and the moment shared with Exusiai would be even better, they weren’t particularly fond of heights. They answered with a nod and a smile, a simple “sure”, but their shaky breath and slow drooping of their tail suggested otherwise.
As they had hours prior with all the rides Exusiai had braved them up enough to at least try, Jacksy decided they wouldn’t change their mind, although they were still awfully unsure.
Jacksy had a hard time keeping up with Exusiai’s frantic, excited strides as she led them towards the Ferris wheel just on the end of the pier. Jacksy was even less sure about it all as they approached, as the height only seemed to get worse and worse. Still, they swallowed their doubt and waited in line.
“U-Um, El…?” Jacksy murmured.
“Yeah? What’s up?” Exusiai responded with a tilt of her head.
Jacksy’s eyes flicked upwards towards the Ferris wheel that seemed to tower over them infinitely. They opened their mouth to speak, though nothing but a quiet stutter slipped free.
“Hey, if you’re too scared to go on, we don’t have to, y’know,” said Exusiai, giving a gentle squeeze of the hand.
“N-No, I wanna go on, it's just- I…” Jacksy stammered.
“Don’t worry,” Exusiai said reassuringly. “I’ll hold you close!”
“Th-Thank you…”
Exusiai planted another soft kiss on Jacksy’s head, right between their ears. Their tail swayed happily behind them, their purrs too soft to be heard above the wind.
Eventually, the two finally reached the front of the line. Exusiai stepped into the gondola first, offering Jacksy a hand, to which they of course accepted. The door closed behind them as they settled on the seats beside each other, and soon, the gondola lurched forward. Jacksy’s grip on Exusiai’s hand tightened.
“Easy, Jacksy, you’re gonna crush my hand,” Exusiai chuckled.
Jacksy let their grip loosen.
“I was exaggerating, silly,” said Exusiai.
Their grip tightened again. Exusiai couldn’t hold back a little chuckle.
The wheel turned a little more every few seconds. Soon, the feeling of being too far off the ground settled into Jacksy. They felt uneasy, their hand now holding onto Exusiai’s shoulder for support. Exusiai’s hand settled on Jacksy’s leg, trying to soothe that unease.
Another shift. Then another. And another.
By now, they were halfway to the top. Jacksy tried to keep their gaze focused towards the ground, but they found themself sneaking a few glares out the window. Seeing the distance between themself and the pier below made them swallow a tight knot of fear, only reassured by the sight of the ocean and Exusiai’s presence.
The two exchanged another glance, then some smiles. Exusiai leaned against Jacksy as she caressed their back, quelling a little more of that uncertainty.
Another shift. Then again, and again. Two from the top.
“I had lots of fun today,” said Exusiai. “Nice way to wrap it all up, huh?”
“Yeah, I guess so…” Jacksy replied. “I had fun too, though,”
“I’m glad,” Exusiai said.
Jacksy gave a slow, silent nod as they leaned against Exusiai again.
One from the top.
“Hey, look out there, Jacksy,” Exusiai insisted, sitting upright. “The ocean a hundred times bigger from up here,”
Jacksy urged themself to look. Sure enough, it looked so much more grand and vast. They felt just a little sad that they couldn’t explore it all in their lifetime, but they could at least admire it from so far away.
One more shift, and the gondola had reached the top. Exusiai’s face lit up as she gazed across the open sea and sky, feeling so high up, so far from the world, so free . Jacksy looked up too, this time, swallowing what remaining doubt they still had. As they opened their eyes and looked out at the horizon, their breath was stolen away.
A beautiful backdrop of hazy oranges, and the ensuing purples and blues, stretched across a reflected canvas of open ocean. Jacksy too, upon being so high up and seeing so much, felt so free , so alive . Even if the motion of the gondola made them uneasy, and even if the ground felt so far away, Jacksy couldn’t help but feel this sense of unchained freedom wash over them.
“Hey, Jacksy,” Exusiai said, tapping their shoulder. “Check this out,”
Jacksy turned their head towards Exusiai, only to be met with the warm, soft sensation of her fingers cupping their cheeks. Then, bathed in the last rays of sunshine of the day, Exusiai pressed her lips to Jacksy’s, claiming them in a soft, gentle kiss.
In that very moment, feeling so far away from the rest of the world, and feeling so unrestrained and free, Jacksy felt that special burning sensation overtake them. They felt loved, and they understood that there was nothing that could compare.
As they pulled away from that kiss, Jacksy couldn’t help but smile a wide, beautiful, cheerful smile. Exusiai felt her heart melt at the sight.
“I love you, Jacksy,” she said.
“I love you too, El,” Jacksy responded. “Forever and always,”
“Mhm. Forever and always.”