The Falcon held no personal quarters, no bedrooms, no luxuries meant for guests. It was the least of everyone's concern when the entire world struggled to live. They all cherished what little time they had together, grateful for life. No one fussed over the sleeping arrangements in the main foyer, everyone taking turns with sleeping on couches and chairs while the rest slept on the floor.
They always gathered to talk before drifting off. Anything was grounds for discussion. They spoke of the times before the skies bled red and the barren earth held no promise. They shared stories never daring to surface if it hadn't been for the cataclysmic events unfolding upon the Floating Continent. In a sense, it was comforting, even if Celes never added to the mixture. She sat and listened, taking in Edgar's voice as he recounted his childhood with Sabin, smiling when Terra recalled snippets of her time spent in the Empire - the good times, at that - and absorbing every drop of wisdom Cyan shared from his time living as a retainer in Doma.
All of their voices were lullabies to her and before long, each voice faded out and Celes curled up into herself. She didn't remember closing her eyes. Then again, she didn't recall the deep sleep she plummeted into. The sharp ache in her neck impelled Celes to awaken. With a light groan, she forced her eyes open and found a room swallowed by darkness. She winced and shifted from her slumped position, intending to sit upright, but she paused.
A shoulder had served as her pillow and a thick jacket draped over her body in place of a blanket. Scanning over the material, she couldn't discern the features in the shadows - or of anything, for that matter - but she couldn't deny the warmth of the body next to her.
It was evident he had taken a liking to sitting next to her when they all settled down by the end of the day. In fact, she found him by her side in general more often than not. Back when she still didn't know who he was, Celes wasn't sure what to make of his company, but each time Setzer sought her out on his own terms aboard the Falcon, she allowed him to inch closer.
She didn't need to speak with him to confirm what riddled her mind - somehow, he already knew. Not once did he pressure her for information; Setzer merely stood by Celes in silence, verifying he was there for her. The quiet soothed her more than she let on. The tension faded from her shoulders, her face softened, and the muddy thoughts clogging her mind dissolved.
But Celes never roused the memory of falling asleep and she certainly didn't recall slumping over into Setzer.
She could almost picture it. Setzer and Edgar were almost always the last two awake. They could have been talking - about engineering or women, same difference - and a comatose Celes would have slumped right into Setzer mid-conversation. She imagined the shock stirring in his face. She could hear the laughter from Edgar. Certainly, the king would have made several suggestive comments to his friend.
Regardless, Setzer let her stay there. He placed his prized jacket around her, even though the cold never bothered her.
Had he held her? Had he kissed her forehead when Edgar finally dozed off? Had he watched her peacefully tucked into him before he joined her?
As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she made out the subtle outlines of his face. His chest rose and fell while she perched her chin upon his shoulder. So content, even while cornered into one end of the couch.
Celes yawned and nuzzled into his shoulder, closing her eyes in an attempt to fall back asleep. It would be worth the pain come morning so long as she obtained the chance to sleep beside him. She shifted again in hopes to find comfort in the position. Gods, how she longed for a bed with pillows and blankets for them to curl up under.
Why am I thinking this?
A heat surfaced onto her cheeks and her heart skipped a beat. Celes chewed at her lip, flicking her eyes up to Setzer.
While lifting her head up, she didn't expect him to turn his, too.
Had there been light, she could have gazed into those beautiful eyes of his, lined with a color she swore didn't exist in most people. Sometimes Celes wondered if he was half-Esper like Terra, considering his features, but Setzer's only natural talents lied in gambling and piloting, not magic. Even with the magicite he used, Celes witnessed him casting a spell all of twice, both times deemed as emergencies.
No magic. Simply born into an exotic guise.
Still, she stared back at him to discern the shades of violet in his irises. Was he doing the same with her? Celes swore his eyes twitched. His breaths stilled. So had hers.
She licked her lips. To dry them, she convinced herself. A shaky exhale passed through her. The tips of their noses brushed. Again she licked her lips.
Celes thought she whispered his name. When she spoke it before - long before - Celes did so out of annoyance, always paired with a roll of her eyes. More recently, the sarcasm dripped away and his name softened upon her tongue. Now when it left her, it had been akin to an intent plea breathed to life.
The corner of his lips crooked up or so she imagined. Hard to tell when he moved into the space between them and found her lips with his own.
To admit she had thought of this countless times was not a confession Celes was adamant on revealing to the world, let alone herself. Still, she submerged into her fantasies and relished over the possibilities. Would he initiate it? Would she? Would he pull her into him while on the upper deck of the Falcon, ignore piloting for a hot minute, and ravish her? Would he find her alone with no one else to see them and bring her into an alcove before crushing his lips into hers? Or would he not give a shit if the entire party witnessed them sharing a passionate moment?
All the possibilities, the what-ifs... they didn't come close to matching the warmth upon his lips. He was soft. Softer than she imagined. She had slept in silk sheets before and eaten rich, lush foods, yet this was smoother, more decadent. His mouth moved against her with small, soft nibbles. Each kiss was a silent question, asking for more, asking if this was okay.
It was beyond okay. He couldn't have been blind to how much she yearned for this. Then again, Celes hadn't realized how desperate she was in craving his touch until he bestowed her with what she longed for.
She nibbled back, savoring every slow motion. Even when they both required a deep breath to replenish their lungs, Celes didn't want to pull back. Setzer gasped lightly the first time they parted, not loud enough to warrant concern, but Celes dove back in with a little more fervor, a little more urgency.
The entire group could wake up in unison and witness the two sharing each other. Celes convinced herself of that; she didn't care right now. She wanted this. When she sucked lightly at Setzer's lower lip, she hoped he understood, too.
A hand settled against her neck, fingers grazing over the sensitive flesh. Celes moved her hands, as well, unsure of where to settle them. She wanted to lose them in his hair. She wanted to trace the edges of the deep scars distorting his face. She wanted to flatten them along his chest to feel how wildly his heart raced. Opting to mirror his actions, her palm cupped his cheek and her fingertips teased wisps of silver.
He drew her lip into his mouth to tug back. She stifled a whine when his teeth nipped at her. He teased the edges of her mouth with his tongue. She shifted against him and clawed at the front of his shirt with her free hand. He caressed her neck and coaxed her mouth open. She couldn't determine who opened to who first, only focusing on the ebb and flow of his tongue against hers.
Their breaths synchronized. Their pulses pumped out of time. They desperately contained any noise, fearing a pin drop of a whimper would ripple through the floor boards like a violent earthquake. Yet they couldn't pry themselves away from one another.
Celes wanted to moan for him. She wanted to crawl into his lap. She wanted her legs hugging his waist. She wanted more than his lovely mouth moving into her.
Sliding down his chest, her hand fell into his lap. Setzer shifted as she subconsciously trailed along the seam of his inner thigh. He kissed her with a new hunger and Celes simply deepened it. She delighted in the tiny groan he let slip out and vibrate onto her lips. Their mouths could rub raw and their throats crack dry, for all Celes thirsted for was the exact attention he showered upon her.
His hand glided over the curve of her waist and sank into her lower back. Fingers curled into her with every hard, frantic kiss until they peeled inches of her top away. Celes gasped against him while he traced mindless designs into the patch of skin with his fingertips. Feather light touches danced over her. Gods, she watched those hands on numerous occasions, sometimes catching herself daydreaming of what they would be like moving over her instead of a deck of cards or airship controls.
Celes slipped as close as possible into Setzer without resulting in either of them yelping out. Neither dared to pull away even an inch, gulping down air when they could with their lips ghosting over each other. Celes never knew what it was like to manipulate fire the way Terra always had, but now she played with a sensation rivaling the burning magic. A heat rolled through her and into Setzer. Back and forth, exchanging affection once stored and hidden from the other.
The faint smoke from his last cigarette lingered on his tongue along with the last bit of scotch he consumed. Or was it rum? Celes couldn't figure it out, but whatever it was, she loved it. It was like swallowing down a spiced flame still smoldering within embers. She could never forget how he tasted. Celes hoped the sentiment was mutual.
It had to be. His hips squirmed each time her hand drew nearer to him, only to retreat back down towards his knee. Each breath trembled in his chest. The playful nips along her mouth transformed into eager bites. His hand resting across the small of her back slid underneath the material of her top to trace up her spine. He wanted more with every touch and Celes didn't blame him, for so did she.
The groan which filled the room came from neither of them, though. Celes hitched her breath and they simultaneously, reluctantly jerked away from one another. Their eyes settled on the origin of the noise. The exhausted grumble and the movement along the floor boards filled her ears. A shapeless lump on the floor rolled over, stretched, then curled back up. Not another sound followed.
Celes licked her lips. They weren't dry this time; they were stained by Setzer and thrummed from the memory he imprinted onto her. She turned back to him, longing to pick up where they last left off. Their foreheads met and Setzer allowed her to search for his mouth. When they locked lips again, the initial wildfire searing through them simmered down. The fantasy faded away and they slipped back into reality.
But she could feel him smirking into her mouth despite their kisses boiling down to slow, tender motions. A tiny chuckle rolled out of him first, then from her. Setzer smoothed a hand over her hair and tugged his jacket back up onto her shoulders. Even when they broke the kiss, their lips lingered, taking in each other's breath.
Setzer kissed the corner of her mouth, the tip of her nose, and the space between her eyes. She didn't expect him to change his position, though when he reclined along the length of the couch, his eyes beckoned for her to join him. Celes crawled into the space he created for her, curling up against his chest. A loose embrace left Celes cooing. The rise and fall of his chest lulled her to relax.
"You okay?"
She never heard his voice so soft, so quiet before. Setzer always carried himself with a dramatic flair. In a sense, he missed his calling to be a thespian - always smiling, always charismatic, always vain. Though he flourished when he rolled dice in his palm and navigated through the endless skies. In those instances, he was calm and at peace with the world around him. But now? Now rivaled with those fleeting moments he cherished the most.
Celes didn't know why he asked when every kiss she bestowed upon him was the answer he sought out.
Thus she snaked a hand up to his and tested the spaces between his fingers. He closed his hand over hers and Celes brought it to her lips to kiss. They both squeezed for one another.
"I've never been better," was the last thing she told him before they fell asleep intertwined within each other.