Garnet hummed happily to herself as she slipped off her detached sleeves. She had taken off her crown, hair ornament, necklace, and shoes a long time ago.
After she had abruptly ended I Want to Be Your Canary, all of her friends had gotten together for dinner to celebrate Zidane's unexpected return. Her heart thumped in her chest just thinking about it. Long gone were the tears that had run down her face when she interrupted the play to jump into his waiting arms. Instead, all she knew was happiness. No, happiness didn't even begin to describe the state the seventeen-year-old queen was in. Even describing her as "ecstatic" seemed to undermine how she felt.
"Bring my beloved Dagger to me!" Zidane had shouted from the stage as he tore off his cloak, a broad grin on his face as he observed the queen's surprise.
Oh how her heart swooned just thinking about that one line again! There was no doubt in Garnet's mind that the Tantalus Theater Troupe had help set up his dramatic reveal, and before the dinner had started she told the Genome how agitated she was at that fact. But she couldn't really be agitated for too long, and she remembered his smile when he quickly realized that the payoff had been too great for her to stay mad for even a minute.
There was no way she could deny it; Garnet was in love with Zidane Tribal.
Funny how, more than a year ago, she would have reprimanded herself for doing such a thing. Not because he was a thief, but rather his mannerisms. The fact that he was a bit of a skirt-chaser (a term she had only learned a few months back from Blank) definitely aggravated her when they first met, especially since his womanizer ways had caused a rather infamous incident that she still thought about from time to time. In the first few days after the incident, any time she would happen to think about it, the memory made her blush profusely. Now she just giggled, since it reminded her of the young man she loved.
The very same young man was currently hanging out in the city with his old friends, as Garnet expected him to do. She wasn't the only one who missed him. Still, she felt a bit lonely without him. The queen knew her thoughts were selfish, but she just couldn't help it.
Perhaps, she thought, I'll get to spend time with him tomorrow.
A sudden knock caused her to jump and gasp. She immediately whipped around to look at the wooden door to her room before realizing the sound the knock made was more on glass than wood. So she looked to her balcony and quickly walked towards it, opening the glass doors, only to find no one on the marble floor.
"Aw man, you were supposed to open the window!"
Garnet jumped - this time squeaking as she did - and her head swung to the left to find Zidane hanging on to the ledge right under her window. When their eyes met he flashed his trademark friendly grin, and Garnet's heart swelled as her smile grew wide.
"Zidane!" she called out in happiness.
Taking that as permission, the young man jumped from the ledge to the railing and hoisted himself over. Garnet ran to him, and the two embraced in a warm hug.
"What about the others?" she asked as she gazed into his eyes as blue as the depths of the ocean.
"Well, everyone's turning in for the night," Zidane explained, "so I figured I would come visit you. Though I'm surprised you're not ready."
"It's been going a bit slow," the queen admitted. She had been thinking about the play, which distracted her from getting pretty much anything done.
True to his nature, the Genome smirked and half-lidded his eyes. "Waiting for me?" he questioned in a low voice as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
The queen knew what he meant by the implication, so in response she slapped him across the face. Not a hard slap, but it still made a light sound. Despite that, Zidane laughed his usual warm laugh, signifying he had been joking. Garnet already knew this, but regardless, he still completely deserved it. And even though he probably didn't deserve any hospitality, she led him inside, still desiring his company.
"So... Did you really mean it when you said you sang our song?" she wondered aloud.
"Of course," he replied as he gently picked her up and sat her down just as gently at the edge of the bed.
Garnet looked into his eyes again and noted how serious they were, while at the same time his lips were pulled into that familiar, playful and inviting grin. It even looked the tiniest bit sad, or maybe apologetic.
"I honestly don't remember how I escaped, though. One of the vines knocked me in the head, I think, so my memory is a tad fuzzy. I can only think Kuja had something to do with my escape."
"Kuja?" Garnet repeated.
Zidane nodded. "When I woke up, I had maybe about a foot of room above my head, and when I looked over at him..." He paused as he tried to think of how to explain it, looking slightly hurt as he did. "The vines... They were all-" He sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I went into the Iifa Tree to save him, and instead he saved me."
Neither of them said anything for a while. "Zidane... I'm so sorry," Garnet finally said.
"Don't be," he told her. "Him saving us and saving me doesn't make up for everything he did. Really, I respect him for choosing what he did in his final moments. I'm more disappointed that I failed at what I had set out to do and made all of you worry." Garnet looked at the ground, not wishing to see the sadness on his face. She didn't want to cry again.
Once more they sat in silence, and the queen wondered if the mood was ruined. But, as though sensing her troubled thoughts, Zidane gently grabbed the tip of her chin and tilted it upward so she could see his endearing eyes and warm smile.
"Do you know that throughout my entire journey back here I thought about almost no one but you?"
He had been exceptionally good at surprising her today. "No one but me?" the black haired girl echoed.
"No one but Queen Garnet Til Alexandros the Twenty Seventh," Zidane stated. "When I was cutting my way through those vines and trekking across the continents, any time I was about to give up for one reason or another, I thought of you and how much I missed you. I missed your smile, your voice, your hair..."
As he said that, he gently tucked some of her long hair behind her ear, and Garnet realized that - for the first time - he wasn't wearing his gloves. He didn't have his vest or dagger either. Just his white undershirt, blue pants, and boots. She also noted, as his hand guided itself down the side of her face, how soft his hand was, and she smiled dreamily as she leaned into the warmth and closed her eyes. His thumb began to rub circles along the fair skin of her cheek.
"I missed your eyes, your laugh, your personality... I just missed you. In other words..." Normally, this would be where a man would say, "I love you", and the relationship would move on from there. But the seventeen-year-old that Garnet loved was no ordinary man, and so instead he backed away - which made the queen open her eyes to find a goofy grin - as he dramatically shouted,
"Cast away thy trappings of royalty, and I shall swaddle thee in a gown of pure love! Never again will I part from thee! Pray, my love, make me thy canary to keep forever in the cage of thy bosom!"
Garnet laughed at his reenactment of his own lines, and she briefly contemplated how she had not noticed it was him under the black cloak by voice alone. Perhaps, while she had missed his voice as well, she had started to forget it.
"All my fortunes at thy foot, I lay," she recited as she stood up, "and I shall follow thee throughout the world." Then she smiled. "Except, of course, for when I have to be here for executive reasons."
Zidane laughed at her serious joke, and Garnet wrapped her arms around his waist. The blond Genome put his around her neck.
"Speaking of which," she remarked. "If you really want to stay with me, you're going to have to learn how to be royalty."
"I actually thought about that on the way here," Zidane admitted. "And sometimes as I thought, I wondered if you would be worth it. In the end, I figured you might be."
"Might be?" Garnet huffed, feigning offense. "From your speech just a few moments ago, I would say you think it's more than might be."
Again, Zidane laughed, not bothered that he had been caught red handed. It wasn't as if he were trying to hide it. His laughter petered out, and he stared at her with a loving gaze, which Garnet returned. They stayed in each other arms staring at one another for what felt like an eternity.
"Well, I guess I should be going," he said, breaking the welcomed silence. "Good night, Dagger."
He slid his arms off of her, and the thought of him going back to the city suddenly had Garnet feeling empty inside. It wasn't as if he would leave again, but she just wanted him to stay maybe a bit longer. Or…maybe…
While she was thinking, Zidane began making his way to the door, but he only walked only a few steps.
"Wait!" Garnet cried. The teenager did as he was told and turned around, an eyebrow cocked in confusion. She opened her mouth as she tried to say something, but found herself unable to make even so much as a tiny noise, so she closed it again.
Well, perhaps it is better to take action, then, she decided.
Once again she ran towards him, though this time when she wrapped her arms around him, it was around his head as her fingers weaved their way through his soft golden locks and pulled him into a kiss.
Needless to say, Zidane was surprised by her boldness. He didn't react at first, though his lack of action did not discourage the queen. Instead she pulled him in harder, and Zidane finally moved. His gloveless hands went into her own hair, the smooth tips massaging her scalp as he pulled her close to his body. The new lovers didn't realize they were moving towards the bed until they tripped and fell back onto the sheets, the impact causing them to separate and gasp as they refilled their seemingly airless lungs.
"I... I missed you," the Summoner whispered after many breathless gasps.
Zidane stared at her intently for a few silent moments before he spoke. "I missed you, too," he responded right before he dove back in for another kiss.
He swallowed up her gasps, but while he was doing that, she was swallowing up his own. They grew more passionate and frantic by the second as the kiss intensified and their hands began to wander at a fast pace, grazing any bare skin they could find. Gasps turned into moans, and moans turned into louder moans, to the point where Garnet didn't know which was louder: the moans or the hammering of her heart.
Perhaps this would not have been the case had he come back sooner.
Had it really only been one short year? To Garnet it felt like an eternity as she waited for the thief who stole her heart to return to her side. With the way Zidane was kissing and touching her, he felt the same way, perhaps even more so than the queen realized at first. As always he hid behind smiles and jokes, but his current actions were expressing his heartbreak in ways that could not be said aloud.
Who knew the hardships he had faced and the number of sleepless nights he had experienced? Who knew how limited his supplies were, and if he had the ability to obtain more? From how dominant he quickly became, it was almost as if he felt he earned this, and Garnet was certainly not going to complain.
But all good things had to come to an end. With their lungs feeling like they were right about to pop like balloons, they finally parted. About a minute passed before any form of panting ceased, and it took almost a minute more for either of them spoke again.
"May you promise me something, Zidane?" Garnet requested. He nodded, waiting for her to speak her mind. "Promise me that you'll never leave me again." She choked back a sob as her next request was spoken with a bit more urgency. "Promise me that if you must you will return safe and sound, and that I will not have to wait this long ever again."
With another choked-back sob, she clung to his neck and pulled him down so that their foreheads were touching. Her voice went to a higher pitch but went down to a harsh whisper as she placed in her final request. "Promise me that you'll love me." As she choked back a sob a third time, tears escaped her eyes. "Please, Zidane, please! I don't mean to sound clingy but I can't help it! I love you so much, Zidane, and I couldn't bear to lose you again!"
Once again Zidane stared at her intently, perhaps pondering how to say exactly what he wanted to. "I will never leave you," he vowed. "And should I ever leave your side physically, I will still be at your side in heart and mind. If I were to leave, I swear by everything holy I will never, ever be as long as this. The pain I have caused us both is too much for me to bear. And I will always, always love you. How I will be able to express how much I do in this lifetime is beyond me but I'll be damned if I don't try."
Her mouth hung open in shock as the tears fell faster. She had never heard Zidane speak so poetically that didn't involve a play. And sure she had heard conviction and determination from him before but... not like this. It was so moving, so heartfelt, the tears that Garnet had attempted to hold back with all her strength began to fall from her eyes in one steady, unbreakable stream.
Once again, happiness could not even come close to describing how she felt.
She clung to Zidane as he glided one hand through her black hair and began kissing her face: her cheeks, her nose, her eyelids, nowhere went untouched. Eventually, once her sobs began to die down just a bit, his hand moved to one side of her face and began rubbing her cheek again as his mouth moved to her jawline. When Zidane traveled to her neck, she gasped. Goosebumps rapidly appeared all over her skin, and shivers zipped up and down her spine, leaving tingly sensations in their wake.
"Z-Zidane," she stuttered. "O-oh, Zidane."
She began to repeat his name in between gasps and moans, and found herself drowning in a world of pleasure as he began to nip at her collarbone.
While Garnet worshipped his name, the young man lived and breathed her body, desperately wanting to make up for the year they had lost. He stopped for only moments as he regained his breath. "Dagger..." he breathed out before he began to go back up.
The way he said her alias caused fireworks to pop all around her nerves. "Z-Zidane," she repeated once more as he closed in on her jawline. "Please, I... I-I need you."
Immediately he stopped what he was doing and moved upward so that they were staring at each other's eyes again. His blue ones were wide with excited surprise, but also with worry and a touch of fear. "Are... Are you sure?" he inquired.
She was not surprised at his hesitation. Sure he was flirtatious, but he never expected to go so far, especially with Garnet - who had been so adamant against his sexual advances from the day she first met him all the way to the beginning of the night. Besides, she knew he didn't want to hurt her, and for all they knew there could be serious consequences. But once again, perhaps it was the yearlong absence that felt like many, many more that made her throw caution to the wind.
"I have never been more sure," she answered with undeniable confidence.
He stared into her endless, dazzling chocolate brown eyes for what seemed like forever. Then he breathed through his nose before slowly getting up. Garnet's hopes were not dashed, however; she waited restlessly - her heart pounding in her chest as she gripped the sheets until her knuckles were as white as them - for whatever surprise he had in store.
Slowly and quietly, Zidane made his way to the wall next to the wooden door and dimmed the lights. The queen's heart skipped two beats in her chest as he made his way back, his boots silently coming off as he did. Very gently, he picked up his lover and moved her back so her head was on a pillow before he climbed on top of her.
"Promise me this," he began quietly. "If you ever want me to stop for whatever reason, tell me to stop, please. I love you too much to hurt you." She nodded and then brought him down into a soft, loving kiss, to which he responded back, just as softly.
With hesitant, slow hands, Zidane reached for the zipper of her dress. He took it in between his thumb and index finger, and with another deep breath through his nose he guided it down. The sound of it filled the dark room, and the word terrified could not do justice on how Garnet perceived the action.
But neither could excited or joyous.
...
Before the sun rose to signify morning, Zidane woke up. It had been years since he slept so peacefully. He wasn't quite sure what woke him, but when he opened his eyes, he didn't care what did.
Dagger was still asleep, her face completely peaceful and a smile gracing her features. Her hair was sprawled out behind her, crocheting the white pillow midnight black. She was absolutely beautiful in every aspect, and Zidane couldn't believe he was the one by her side. He propped himself up with one arm and took the other hand to gently brush the back of it against the fair skin of her cheek.
The queen breathed out softly and leaned into the touch. The act made a shiver of happiness run through him, stinging the scratches she had left in his back, but they stung in a good way. The base of his tail was sore as well, but that too was hardly worth his attention or concern. He had no idea that his tail became sensitive during something like that, which caused him to be more aroused than he already was. Zidane had lost count how many times his eyes rolled to the back of his head while lost in pleasure. And with how adamantly Dagger had tugged at it, it was a wonder how she didn't yank it out of him, and he wasn't sure if he would have howled out in pleasure or pain if she did, or maybe both.
Speaking of howling, the thief had to smile as he remembered Dagger's. The way she screamed his name like it was the only word she knew in between moans and pants and gasps was amazing to hear. He wondered if he should leave for a year at some point in the future just to see if she would ever be that passionate again.
Immediately he shot down that idea. Of course he never would. He had promised both of them that.
Despite the disappearance of the mist, not all of the monsters were gone just yet, and even then there were territorial animals he had to fight off along the way. Since Zidane only had a few potions left, he had to use them sparsely, and he had no mages to help him out. He was on his own, with no airship for quick, easy travel. The closer he had gotten to Alexandria, the more he agreed to never do something like that again.
He truly meant every word he had said the night before, but even he had been surprised at how poetic and formal he had been. The words just came out as they had. But whether it was something he usually did or not, it didn't change the meaning.
Of course, he hadn't expected his words to lead to...that.
Zidane sighed and smiled even bigger. Last night... Wow, he thought. There were no words to describe it.
He studied his lover's face again, and then his eyes traveled down, only for the sheet to cover everything. The serious, slightly somber attitude from the night before drained away, replaced by his usual playboy nature as he smirked and moved his hand away from her cheek to slowly peel the sheet back. When it wasn't even an inch off her shoulder, Dagger shivered and groaned in protest before shrugging it back on. Zidane laughed silently, realizing she was awake, and began to peel it back again. This time she grabbed it and jerked it back over her shoulders. She opened her eyes and glared at him, although Zidane could see the playfulness behind her annoyance.
"I was enjoying my nice, peaceful morning, jerk," she scolded.
Unsurprisingly, he laughed it off. "Morning to you too, sunshine," he greeted.
She huffed with an annoyed smile. "Where's the poetic Zidane from last night?" she complained.
"He's reserved for special occasions," Zidane replied casually.
"Shame," Dagger sighed with a smile. "I like him."
"Looks like you're stuck with me," the thief said before he kissed her cheek.
His lover giggled. "I guess I can manage," she joked.
Zidane chuckled and kissed her, to which she eagerly responded. He climbed on top of her so the sheet was no longer on her body but that she was still under it. After about a minute of kisses, Dagger began to glide her soft hands along his muscles. Zidane always believed he had strong muscles, but the one-year trip had made them even stronger, especially his abdominals. Meanwhile, the queen's body was soft. Fairly toned, but soft. So when their bodies met it made him feel relaxed, and - hopefully - she knew protection. And when she would take her hands and maneuver over what he had worked for...
There wasn't a word he could think of to describe how amazing he felt feeling those petite hands exploring his rugged physique.
The Genome parted from her and let out a pleasured sigh as she traced his stomach muscles. He sat up as she did, and the sheet gracefully fell from his back, shamelessly showing off his body. Dagger smiled but blushed, prompting Zidane to smile slyly.
"So, my queen," he began, "what do you want to do today? We'll do anything you want; I have a year to make up, after all."
"Anything?" Dagger repeated.
"Anything you desire," he confirmed, and a few seconds later he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
This time she didn't slap him; rather, she giggled, perhaps playing along with his nature, or maybe even considering it herself. "Okay, but I'm thinking I want to get clean first," the queen stated.
"Alright," he agreed, moving over to flop down on the bed and rest his eyes. Dagger crawled out, but when her feet touched the floor she leaned over and tapped him on the shoulder. He reopened his eyes and looked at her smile.
"Come with me," she requested.
Her boldness was still as surprising as it had been the night before, but he smiled back and agreed anyway. As he climbed out a thought came to him, and he smirked with half-lidded eyes. "Is that a request in more ways than one?" he asked in a low voice.
Dagger giggled again. "Maybe," she sang, and Zidane chuckled. He wrapped his tail around her wrist - which she proceeded to pet - and he led her to the washroom.
After a round of what Zidane called "morning exercise" (that phrase did earn him a slap), the blond haired teen let his lover relax in the fresh warm water they had poured in and went to dress back in the clothes he had on the day before. He slipped on his boots and went out to the balcony to lie on the railing just as the first light of the sun began to shine through the darkness.
Despite it being the middle of January he didn't feel cold not wearing a long sleeve shirt; Alexandria never got too cold, and he had hiked through much worse on the way over. Besides, he felt too comfortable to feel anything but warmth and security. He breathed in the early morning out and released it with a sound of bliss.
But something tugged at his mind, and he briefly wondered what it was. He looked up to look at the tall towers of the Alexandrian Castle, and that was when it truly hit him: he was going to be King of Alexandria.
If he had to be honest, the thought of being king was a tad intimidating. He had been the pseudo leader during their quest to defeat Kuja, sure, but being leader of a team of rag-tag fighters was vastly different from ruling an entire city. Then again, he would have Dagger's help, and from the beautiful, peaceful state Alexandria was in, she was doing an amazing job. And it wasn't like he wouldn't figure out how to be a ruler eventually. Zidane was a fast learner; so he figured it wouldn't take him long to grasp how to be a good king.
Suddenly he heard footsteps, and he figured they belonged to Dagger. He sat up and found himself staring at her in awe. He had expected the queen to wear the outfit she had when they traveled together, but perhaps she changed it to surprise him. She was wearing a scarlet red shirt with a white long sleeve underneath, baggy tan pants that were just above her ankles, and brown sandals. Her thick black hair - which when usually tied was in a low ponytail - was braided very nicely.
She looked... cute.
Zidane couldn't take his eyes off her as he slipped off the railing and back onto the balcony in a daze. "I suppose I did a good job," a voice noted, and the thief looked over at Beatrix, who smiled triumphantly at his awe. He stared at the woman for a bit before he smiled back, and then Dagger walked over and wrapped her arms around him. Now he looked at her and smiled bigger. "By the way, you two are lucky it was me on guard duty last night. I don't think Steiner would have been very happy about your little escapade."
Zidane chuckled. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure Rusty would've had a heart attack at how loud Dagger was," he stated. The queen glared at him as she blushed profusely, and he laughed. But then, slowly, her frown changed into a devious smirk, and Zidane gave her a quizzical look.
"You say that as if you were quiet," she shot back.
Now he was even more confused. If that was supposed to be a comeback, it could be easily countered. He even proved it. "I never said I was quiet," Zidane argued with his own smirk. "All I'm saying is that you were particularly loud." He expected another blush of embarrassment. Instead, he just got a wider smirk, and while he became confused again, she took a deep breath.
"'Oh, Dagger'," she moaned, imitating him. Zidane stared at her, eyes widened, as she continued. "'Ah, you- yes- oh God, I can't- Dagger!'" She moaned loudly, almost to the point of over exaggeration. Zidane had no idea how to respond.
"That's not... I didn't... No!" he exclaimed as he turned away to hide his own blush.
Unfortunately, he was blushing so profusely that even his ears were red, so the women giggled at him. Zidane had been embarrassed before, but usually he was the one who made others flustered.
Karma. It had to be karma.
"Well, I hope you enjoy your day, your majesties." Beatrix's words caused Zidane to become even more flustered, and he completely tensed up to the point where his tail was sticking straight up. He was so rigid and so focused on trying to calm down he didn't hear the top general leave, nor did he notice Dagger walk behind him and quickly grab his butt. He yelped and whipped around, his blush returning and became even worse, as she giggled once more.
"Come on, it's not like I did it on purpose," she teased, obviously referring to the event where the roles had been reversed.
Yep, definitely karma.
"Where did all of this boldness come from?" he wondered aloud.
"I had to find some way to keep you close," Dagger explained, still smiling. "Acting a little like you seemed the best way." Then she frowned, slumped her shoulders, and looked at the ground. "Although, these last few weeks, I... Well I..."
He couldn't explain how he knew what she was going to say, but he just knew.
"You lost hope," he finished.
Slowly, she nodded. It was obvious she felt guilty for feeling that way, but Zidane didn't blame her. He had a feeling words wouldn't help, so he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. Dagger looked up at him with a surprised expression, and Zidane wanted to make it go away. So in the blink of an eye, he kissed her. Not even a second had passed before she joined him.
They kissed for an eternity before they gently parted. As Dagger regained her breath, Zidane smiled, and he picked her up bridal style. This time she looked at him in wonder, which made him smile bigger. "So, my queen, are you ready for the first of many best days?"
The queen continued to stare in wonder before she finally smiled brightly. "Of course," she replied.
"Alright."
He backed up towards the railing and stepped onto it, crouching down and wrapping his tail around the railing. He smirked, and Dagger gave him a confused look. Then the Genome fell backwards, and Dagger cried out in surprise as they hung upside down. His lover glared at him for scaring her, and of course Zidane laughed, to which she joined in.
"So, let's go!"
Zidane pushed off the balcony, flipped around, and landed on the castle grounds before bounding off towards the city.
And there were no words to describe how blissful they were.