Work Text:
You take a long look at the imposing, pristine walls, eyes trailing up the vines you'd hoped would serve as footholds for your ascent.
Ais stands to the side, posture aloof, but you know better. He'd been trying to talk you out of this all day in his own way.
"Is it really that bad?"
"Senobium's a shithole, you'd have better luck with one of those faith healers."
"You won't get to see Princesses tricks if you get stuck in there."
You could tell he started to get a bit irritated, reiterating the dangers you'd already heard from the others. That they would find another way. He wouldn't admit his concern outright, but it made your heart flutter to be cared about for once. But no true avenues had been presented to you, the Senobium being the only one unexplored.
"Once you're in there, theres nothing I can do to help you." Hes leaning against the building you used for cover. He was nice enough to escort you here despite his protests. At the end of the day, he couldn't - wouldn't stop you.
"I know." You trail off. Now that the Senobium looms ahead, you feel that hesitation creeping up again.
Everyone had warned you about this place, that it wasn't the beacon of hope you'd been told about, staked everything on. Disregarded at best, tortured at worst. When you first arrived, it hadn't deterred you much, you truly had nothing to lose.
But now, even though its only been a few short days in Eridia, you feel like you might be leaving something behind. You try not to question if its worth it, if you can simply survive with this curse as Ais had said. If you could just spend your days at the Wet Wick with your weird drinking buddies, just never touching anyone. Ever. Would it really be okay?
Could you be satisfied with that?
A white cloak rounds the corner and gives reprieve from your own doubt. From your scouting, you know this is it. Your chance to break in, now or never. You wait until hes out of sight before you straighten up, aware of Ais' warm presense behind you as he pushes off the wall.
You may not come back. All the things you'd heard about this place, it could very well be the last time you see him, but you'd come too far to stop now. Hurt too many along the way with your curse, twisted faces haunting your sleep - spending too much time around anyone always resulted in getting too comfortable, a misstep, resulting in a loss. You'd be damned if you let it happen to them.
You spin on your heel, trying to quell your nerves as you beckon Ais with a curl of your finger. Impending doom does wonders for confidence, it has you feeling pretty bold.
The gesture earns you a curious glance and quirked lips, but he takes the hint, bending to reach your height. You take a quick glance at your hands, checking that everything is in place, before allowing a palm to grace one side of his jaw ever so gently, your lips finding his cheek.
"Thank you." for everything.
Your voice wavers a bit at the audacity of your own actions and the high you feel from such a simple action. You go to turn away, hoping you didn't make him uncomfortable. He flirted a lot, sure, but that didnt mean he'd actually want a kiss from someone like you-
"Think you need to work on your aim, Sparrow."
You blink. Nope. Theres that shit eating grin, watching your flustered face with amusement and something you can't quite place. He almost looks impressed.
And you, always willing to step up to his challenge, to wipe those cocky, infuriatingly handsome grins off his face.
Its one of the reasons he'd taken a liking to you.
You give him a little glare and quickly close the gap, heart hammering against your ribcage like it wants to break free, but you can't help but hesitate at the last second, his breath ghosting over your lips, the spicy scent of cloves that clung to him invading your nose, making you dizzy.
Ais waits patiently, but once your lips meet his, long fingers slide under your cloak to grip at your shirt by your lower back, pulling you flush against him with an intensity belied by his laid back demeanor.
He's so warm, sturdy. He almost feels like that beacon you'd been searching for, something steady in the storm that had been your existence. You feel giddy, elated, and when he pulls back ever so slightly to let you breathe, your hands fist in his haori to pull him back for one more, sweet and chaste this time. He follows you without resistance.
Your chest heaves, but you will yourself to pull away. If you kiss him again you may never leave. Ais gives a lazy, knowing smirk, its easy until he sees you take that step back. Funs over, he thinks as he watches your small form, silhouetted by that shitty tower. Hell of a human you are, to be breaking into one of the worst places in Eridia.
"When I get out, I'll be sure to come and see you." You grin, eyes shining with happiness and determination, cheeks red. He burns that image into his mind, hopes it's not the last one he has of you.
'First' goes unspoken between them.
He smirks, "You better. Princess is gonna be lonely without ya."
You raise a knowing brow, "Will she now? I guess I'll miss her too. Give her a treat for me."
A beat passes and you nod resolutely, any longer and you'd really miss your window. Turning heel, you shift low to make little noise as you reach the climbing vines, pulling yourself up and over the wall with practised ease, red eyes watching every movement until you disappear over the edge.
He listens for any kind of commotion, and when he hears none he breaths a sigh, leaning back against the cool, damp stone. He's got a cigarette lit in no time, smoke trailing out of his mouth as his hands twitch and lips tingle. He should have held tighter, dragged you out to the Seaspring and kept you there. Even Ocudeus stirrs, he can feel a distant hint of irritation, displeasure.
He didn't know you, despite how fascinated he found himself with you. He couldn't keep you from doing what you felt you needed to. To tie you down, contain you, would be against everything he liked about you. Your mystery, spiritedness, your stubbornness. But it felt like a mistake, anyways. To lose one of the good ones to such a place.
He casts one more look to the tower and takes a long drag, embers highlighting his sharp features.
"Good luck, Sparrow."