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“Hey, Ororon?”
Ororon pauses laying out his bedroll to look up at Ifa inquiringly.
“I um. I just, there’s something I want to tell you,” Ifa stumbles over his words, feeling his face burn.
Ororon waits quietly, his two-toned eyes glinting in the starlight. Ifa knows he’ll wait as long as it takes for him to speak what’s on his mind. Ororon has always listened.
“I’m scared, Ororon,” Ifa says finally, “I’m so scared.”
Ororon rises and walks over to Ifa, standing before him quietly. After a moment he folds his arms across his chest and says, “I don’t believe you.”
Ifa blinks, “What?”
“I don’t believe that you’re scared. You’ve never backed down from doing what has to be done. Ever.”
Ifa smiles faintly at that. It’s such an Ororon thing to say. Shaking his head, Ifa replies, “You’re right, I’m not scared of the fighting or the healing. That isn’t what I meant.”
Ororon cocks his head, waiting.
“…I’m scared of losing you,” Ifa admits quietly, “Ororon you…you’re my whole world. And tomorrow you’re going to go out there and be a Hero of Natlan and I am so proud of you. But I’m also so scared. I don’t know what I’ll do if…”
Ifa trails off, sucking in a shuddering breath as he covers his face with his hands.
Ororon says nothing.
“It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way I do. I just needed to tell you how I felt. It was selfish of me, and I’m sorr-“
“Ifa,” Ororon cuts him off quietly.
“Please don’t be too upset, I know I shouldn’t have dropped this on you right befo-“
“Ifa,” Ororon says, more insistently, “Ifa, look at me. Please.”
Ifa hesitantly lowers his hands, peering over his fingers at Ororon. His breath catches in his throat.
Ororon has a little smile on his face. And his eyes. His eyes are full of love.
Ifa stares, spellbound, as Ororon reaches out and gently pulls Ifa’s hands down away from his face.
“I love you,” Ororon says firmly, “I love you with every shred of my broken soul. And no matter what happens in this war, I will love you still.”
“You…” Ifa trails off, at a loss for words.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Ororon continues, “But I do know that I loved you yesterday, I love you today, and I’ll love you tomorrow.”
Ifa blinks, stunned. And then, before he can convince himself not to, he surges forward to press his lips to Ororon’s. He cups Ororon’s face in his hands and he feels the other man hook his fingers in Ifa’s shirt and pull him even closer.
When they finally pull back for air, Ifa laughs weakly, thumb brushing under Ororon’s eye. He still can’t quite believe this is real.
They stare at each other, faint smiles on their faces as a contented silence stretches between them, until Ifa murmurs, “I love you, too.”
Ororon’s eyes widen.
“I love you so damned much,” Ifa repeats.
This seems to leave Ororon speechless, and Ifa’s heart gives a little twinge. He hates that life has taught Ororon he isn’t worthy of love.
“I mean it, Ororon.”
Ororon inhales shakily, his face still cupped in Ifa’s palms, and says with conviction, “I know you do. You never lie to me.”
Ifa smiles, sliding his hands from Ororon’s cheeks to cradle the back of his head so he can pull the other man closer. Bumping their foreheads together gently, Ifa says firmly, “Promise me you’ll remember, when you’re out there fighting for Natlan, that you have to come home safe.”
Ororon’s face crumples, “I…”
Fingers tightening in Ororon’s hair, Ifa says raggedly, “Please, Ororon. I know you think you aren’t important. That no one would care if you were gone. But you’re important to me. And if I lost you, I’d never be the same.”
Ororon blinks up at him, processing Ifa’s words, and then leans forward to kiss him again.
Ororon tries to put all he’s feeling into the kiss. How much he loves Ifa. How desperately he wants to stay with him. How he knows he can’t make any promises.
He’d never risk lying to Ifa, even if it breaks his heart. Ororon knows there’s a very good chance he won’t survive what’s coming. He suspects Ifa does too. And since he has no words to offer Ifa for comfort, he pulls the other man closer, giving him his feeling, his love, instead.
When they finally break apart, Ororon’s back is pressed against the cliff wall and his legs are wrapped tightly around Ifa’s waist. Ifa holds him tightly in strong, steady arms, and offers him a lopsided grin. He’s breathless and his lips are swollen. Ororon knows he’s not much better.
He reaches up to brush some of Ifa’s bangs out of his face. Ororon had knocked his hat off at some point, needing to run his fingers through pearly hair. He can feel that his hood is down, too, both ears exposed to the night air.
“I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” Ifa admits, pecking Ororon’s lips again.
Ororon ducks his head, blushing, and mumbles, “Me too.”
He feels Ifa press a gentle kiss to one of his ears and it twitches in response. Ifa laughs and Ororon thinks it’s probably the most wonderful sound he’s ever heard.
Ororon looks up again to find Ifa studying him. Flushing, he asks, “What is it?”
Face breaking into a brilliant smile, Ifa admits, “I was just thinking about how beautiful you are.”
Feeling his face burn even hotter, Ororon looks away, not sure what to say.
After a moment, Ifa sighs and presses a kiss to Ororon’s cheek, “We should get some sleep.”
He sounds reluctant, and Ororon understands that. Sleep is the last thing on his mind. But, as usual, Ifa is right. It’s late and Ororon knows tomorrow…tomorrow is going to be hard on both of them.
“Yeah,” Ororon agrees reluctantly, but neither of them move.
After a few moments, Ifa admits sheepishly, “I don’t want to let go of you.”
Ororon laughs, “Me, either.”
Ifa looks thoughtful for a moment and then he wraps his arms more tightly around Ororon and pulls away from the wall.
Ororon throws his arms around Ifa’s neck with a small yelp, gasping, “Wh-what are you-“
Laughing, Ifa sets Ororon down on his bedroll and reaches over to snag his own before pulling them close to each other and flopping down beside Ororon. Ifa pulls him back into his arms, tucking Ororon’s face into the crook of his neck and murmuring, “Now we don’t have to let go of each other.”
The “not yet” hangs heavily in the air between them, unsaid. The coming battle looms over them, but Ororon is determined to be in this moment. To make sure Ifa knows how much he loves him, in case he never gets another chance.
Ororon pulls Ifa closer, pressing a kiss to his cheek, “Even when I’m not in your arms, Ifa, I’m yours.”
Ifa inhales shakily, hands fisting in Ororon’s jacket with a grip that’s almost frantic as he whispers, “When you go, you’re taking my heart with you. So you have to come back.”
Ifa doesn’t ask him to promise, and Ororon is grateful.
At a loss for words, Ororon says the only thing he can really be sure of in this moment, “I love you, Ifa.”
Despite all the fear, all the doubt, all the uncertainty, Ororon feels Ifa’s smile against his temple as he replies, “I love you too, bro.”