Title: Stay
Author: riane
Rating: M
Spoilers: Based on the Escaflowne, the movie. Alternate universe.
Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne. Just another fangirl :)
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He knows that this will not last. Peace merely punctuates an otherwise bloody existence.
When he is sure she is asleep, he memorises the shape of her lips. The curve of her eyelashes. The upward tilt of her nose. He aches to touch her again, one last time, but stills his hand. They had all fought for their lives, and she is as weary as he is. Sheer desperation and longing had finally shattered his cold exterior, and he was the one who reached for her. They had wed a month before, and yet he had not lain with her, telling himself this was strictly business. Merely part of the plan to solidify the alliance with one as precious and powerful as her.
'I understand, if you do not want - if you do not desire me,' she had said, on their wedding night, when he lay beside her, still and cold. He heard the tears in her voice, but he willed his heart to remain impenetrable. The risk of losing himself to her was too great, and he needed to be razor-sharp to be useful to the cause. Love had a way of making one weak. And he could not afford that luxury.
He had finally surrendered, last night. He will never forget the softness in her eyes. He was clumsy and rough at first, so wrought with exhaustion and weak from the wounds of war, but she soothed him, as she always did. Without words. And then, he finally let go, gasping her name, shuddering with release, clutching her to him, his face buried in the curve of her neck.
He watches her now, his heart crumbling into fine dust, calling himself a fool for waiting so long.
She wakes, and smiles at him with such heart-stopping sweetness that he has to close his eyes to will the tears away.
'I cannot stay,' she says softly. He nods thickly.
She touches his face lightly, smiling with a mixture of sadness and quiet love. Then - he comes undone. Blinded by shameful tears he recoils from her touch, pressing his palms into his eyes.
'Van,' she whispers, over and over again, gathering him into her arms. 'Van.' He sobs, hating his weakness, but helpless in the face of his grief, and their impending separation.
'Stay,' is all he manages to whisper, as she cradles him in her arms.
She laughs, a small and sad sound. 'How I wish I could. But I am not of your world. The Mystic Moon will call me back.'
'You must come back,' he replies stubbornly. 'Promise me.'
She brushes her fingertips along his lips, then nods. 'I promise.'
He holds to that, as he holds onto her, his callused fingers digging into her soft, fair skin. For now, at least...they are together.
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