Here we have pointless, shamelss, unforgivable fluff. And some minor spoilers for Lost and Found, post Lost and Found, my 'verse and my world. (I tried to keep it farily spoiler-free, but there's a couple things mentioned.) Read at your own risk and enjoy!
"What are we doing here?" Cuore asked for what had to be the hundredth time, looking around the clearing they had stopped in.
Kieran sighed, glancing at her, "You will see."
He'd already told her that, but as usual, Cuore's curiosity was insatiable.
She fidgeted and continued to look around, eyes searching the trees and the nearby stream as if they were going to tell her the answers she was seeking.
Kieran actually found her behavior amusing, and purposely kept the reason for their trip a secret.
"But when will I know?" she asked next, grinning at him over her shoulder.
Kieran sighed again, "Soon, stop fussing."
Cuore frowned at him, though he could tell she wasn't really mad, and pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders, "I'm not fussing. I'm inquisitive."
"You're nosey," he retorted just loud enough for her to hear him. She giggled, shooting him another frown, "Keep this up and I'm going back to the castle and telling Ursula and Ceodore your being mean."
That threat actually did make him cringe, but he just finished moving some rocks to hold the corners of a blanket down on the ground. As he worked, he commented, "After all the trouble it was to escape the castle? Not on your life are we going back."
Cuore smirked, "Who knew Fabul had such impressive gate guards."
She had begun pacing, and even though her bare feet didn't make any sound on the mossy ground, Kieran still rolled his eyes and pat the empty space next to him.
"Cuore, come and sit, and bring your inquisitiveness with you."
She giggled and wandered over, taking her time, still intent on studying all aspects of their new surroundings. "What are we doing out here?"
He stared at her, exasperated, but she just smiled sweetly and settled beside him, "Can't you at least give me a hint?"
Kieran paused to think about it, speaking slowly, "It's…something you have to see."
"When?"
"When it's dark."
"It's dark now," she pointed out, gesturing to the shadows around them.
Kieran frowned at her, "Even darker."
Cuore was quiet for a moment, but he knew her well enough to know she wasn't going to stay that way.
He was proven correct.
"But why did we have to come to Fabul?"
He smiled at her, "Because what we're here to see, can't be seen everywhere."
Cuore considered his words, and she fell silent, fiddling with the fringe on her shawl as she tried to piece together his clues.
It had taken him a long while to convince her to come to Fabul, and he was only able to after getting Ceodore and Ursula involved, and then it was a further struggle to get her to leave the castle with him.
Kieran didn't mind her constant questions, but sometimes he wished she would simply trust him. He had so little free time to spend with her anyway that he hated to waste it with explanations.
Cuore was still lost in thought, determined to decipher what he meant, and Kieran took the opportunity to study her as she kneeled rigidly on the ground. Her teal hair had been left down, and even though it obstructed part of her pretty face, it felt more natural to see it free of bindings and trappings. More…Cuore.
Her dress was simple and lightweight, yet form fitting, and was a soft shade of purplish-blue that offset her hair. The shawl she had hanging from her elbows was made of some sheer fabric he suspected came from the Eidolons. It seemed to change colors, and unless he'd missed a grand discovery as of late in the world, it screamed magic.
And her feet were bare, but what else was new?
Cuore noticed him staring and tipped her head to one side, "What?"
"I'm just glad to finally know something you don't." he teased, smirking.
She pretended to pout and crept closer, mentioning, "You know lots of things I don't."
"Like what?" he asked, genuinely curious what she would say.
Cuore leaned against his arm, "You know about supply and demand, and merchant guilds, and supply lines, and trade agreements, and chocobos, and cards,"
"I…get the picture." Kieran remarked, cutting her off before the entire night slipped away. Though, he was pleased it was Cuore who had initiated a slightly affectionate gesture. She rarely did so.
"So, see you…" Cuore trailed off, distracted by a flicker of light that flew lazily through the trees.
Kieran smiled slowly, watching her reaction as more of the soft lights floated into view, gathering into the clearing.
Cuore sat up slowly, obviously captivated and then exclaimed, "Bioluminescence!"
She sprang to her feet, racing into the middle of the dancing lights and watching the luminosities drift through the air, weaving in and out of tree trunks and brushing the ground. There was a pattern, if one looked close enough, to the movements and the intensity of the lights.
"What are they?" she asked, waving her hand through the lights, making them scatter and glide off her skin.
"We call them fireflies." he replied, standing to join her, "They come out this time of year when it's dark."
"Fireflies." Cuore repeated, continuing after a moment, "winged beetles of the Lampyridae family."
Kieran carefully captured one of the little bugs in between his hands and turned, passing the critter into Cuore's cupped hands so she could study it up close.
"Fascinating." she murmured, "I hadn't thought the light it produced would emit any heat, considering in has no infrared or ultraviolet wavelengths."
She blew softly on the beetle and it flew from her hand, rejoining the others of its kind.
"No one's really sure why they dance around at night," Kieran mentioned, "people used to say they were attracted to the Crystals, since they can be seen in some parts of Troia and Mysidia, too."
Cuore shook her head, eyes still riveted on the insects, "A fanciful idea, but they produce bioluminescence as larvae as a defense mechanism to warn away predators since they are poisonous. In adults, the lights act for nothing more than sexual selection."
"Really?" Kieran said skeptically, "That seems like a lot of show for just…that."
Cuore grinned at him, "I would point out classic human mating rituals for comparison, but I don't want to inadvertently insult you."
Kieran paused, "Fine, point taken."
She turned back to the lightshow, still grinning, and began to rattle off more facts about the mysterious fireflies, "Did you know that there is one specific species of fireflies where the females mimic the flash patterns of other species to attract males and then eat them?"
"That must be the kind in Troia." Kieran teased, earning a chuckle from Cuore, who brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, "Another species has mandibles that inject digestive fluid directly into their meals."
He made a face, finding that detail to be disgusting, as Cuore began to describe how the bioluminescence was produced.
If there was one thing Kieran had come to learn about Cuore, it was that she only babbled about facts that most people wouldn't care about if she were excited or nervous. He also knew it was nearly impossible to get her to shut up once she was started.
Still, he had succeeded before.
"Not all fireflies are meat-eaters, most feed on pollens and nectars." she explained, tracking a fairly bright, pale green firefly as it darted around her.
Kieran didn't bother to respond since Cuore was already saying something else, but he did wrap an arm around her waist and turn her around so she was facing him.
"Fireflies hibernate through winter, and then-"
Cuore would probably complain he hadn't let her finish out her thought; she hated to be interrupted, after all, but maybe she'd forgive him in light of the kiss.
"Are you done?" he asked, pulling back just enough to ask her.
Cuore shook her head ever so slightly, "No, I have a few facts left, yet."
He kissed her again.
She smiled, whispering when he pulled back this time, "Alright, now I'm done."
Kieran gave her one last kiss before tugging her with him, back to the blanket, "Good. Come and sit,"
Cuore obliged, refusing to release his hand even once they had settled and sat, simply watching the fireflies in their natural state.
Not that he minded. The contact was comforting, and the tactile connection sharpened the unphysical bond they shared.
"Are fireflies romantic?" Cuore asked after a few minutes, glancing at him curiously.
Kieran shrugged, "I don't know…I guess. Why?"
She shook her head, returning her gaze to the insects, "I just wondered."
He grinned at her and reached out his free hand to play with her hair; something that irritated her. "Do you think they are?"
She looked back at him, a funny mixture of amusement and annoyance written across her features, "I don't think anything is romantic, but I was curious why you brought me out here."
Kieran shrugged again, "I didn't think you'd ever seen fireflies before, and it just seemed like something you would enjoy."
Cuore smiled at him, though much to his disappointment, she untangled their hands. His disappointment was short lived, however, because she curled up closer to him, inviting a halfway embrace as she admitted, "I think its sweet you know what I like."
"See," he teased, "you do think something is romantic."
Cuore poked him in the chest, "Stop teasing me."
"Well I'm sorry I can't glow and fly around for you. I have to attract a mate some other way."
Cuore narrowed her eyes at him, "By harassment?"
"Playful banter." he countered.
She snorted her disapproval, and Kieran merely smirked at her, "What? It worked, didn't it?"
"So it did." she murmured, leaning forward to kiss him in a surprisingly enthusiastic way, catching him off-guard. It wasn't that they never kissed, but they rarely kissed like that.
So intensely that she pushed him over, allowing the situation to rapidly get out of hand.
His fingertips grazed the shawl still tucked in her elbow and some absent part of his mind decided that yes, the fabric was of magical, ethereal origin. No natural fabric was that silky yet wispy.
The invisible link between them was distracting and demanding, and it made the action of even a simple kiss magnified into a life-changing event.
Even though the both of them knew this, logically, it made no difference. Not when it felt so nice to have Cuore so close, to feel her hair slide through his fingers, or the material of her dress as it brushed against him.
Then there was the mental element to this connection, this link; the part of the bond that passed feelings and memories between it, the part that was almost more dangerous than the physical element.
Kieran broke the kisses first, with a great deal of reluctance and willpower, knowing how easily Cuore lost herself to emotions and sensations, though with this bond between then, he wasn't much better.
"Cuore,"
She just hummed a response, proving that she was already dazed. He cleared his throat and tried again, this time a little louder, "Cuore,"
Her eyes fluttered open and she blinked at him, "Yes?"
"Are you alright?" he asked, finally catching his breath.
She blinked a couple of times and then nodded with a sigh, "Yes, thank you. I'm sorry, I…"
"Me too." Kieran replied quietly, giving her a quick, innocent kiss.
The temptation to fall back into that dream-like, fanatical state was too high in their current positions so Kieran gently pushed Cuore away, feeling a little guilt and disappointment as he did, though she merely smiled shyly at him.
She looked like she wanted to say something, but Kieran just shrugged, hoping to make her feel better, "That bond is sometimes more trouble than it's worth."
Cuore laughed softly and nodded, "True. Thank you."
"For what?" he asked, the residual effects of the connection ebbing from his system, bringing a sense of normalcy to the situation, though it was never gone completely.
Cuore still looked shy as she answered, "For…looking out for me. For being so kind to me."
A firefly landed between them, glow alternating between blue and green. She smiled, "And for this. It was…nice."
Kieran smiled and took her hand, kissing the back of it, "It was my pleasure."
Cuore returned his smile, though her gaze was diverted by the fireflies once more and she whispered, "Can we stay a little longer?"
He nodded, returning his attention to the light display as well, "Of course."
Author's Note: For some reason, I've been thinking about fireflies lately...(maybe because I've seen them?) and I wanted to write some fluff between these two. Yes, it's shameless.
As usual, all the facts Cuore spews out are true to life.
I promise I'm working on Lost and Found, too! But hopefully this was a fun little distraction.
(Ignore the spoilers...)