A/N: Almost a month late, no plot, pure fluff.
A short while after Alibaba had almost passed out because of Hakuryuu's celebratory drink, both Aladdin and Hakuryuu insisted that Morgiana and Alibaba stay together now that they were a couple. Hakuryuu gave her a faint smile with words of congratulations while the magi told her to retire first and that he and Hakuryuu would enjoy their drinks for a while longer.
The night was still young and she wasn't sure if her friends were just being considerate. However, after everything that had happened earlier, she was happy, so happy that she felt like she was unable to think straight because up until today, the concept of true happiness seemed so distant. It had always been beyond her.
In the end, Morgiana took Alibaba to their room then she spent a long while gazing at the stars and the night sky from the balcony until the cheerful music from downstairs had stopped and people's chatting had faded into silence before she decided to lie down on her side of the bed, facing Alibaba who was still sleeping comfortably.
It had been a few years ever since the last time she princess-carried him, ever since the last time they shared the same bed and ever since the last time she got to see him up close, real and alive.
Alibaba had changed from a seventeen-year-old boy to a twenty-two-year-old man, from the boy she almost killed to the man she would spend the rest of her days with. He was taller. His features were more refined but his bright smile, his gentle eyes and that stubborn lock of golden hair stayed the same.
He was still the same person she had always loved.
Unconsciously, her hand reached out to touch his hair, her fingertips trailing down along the side of his face, very gently and barely making any contact. For a moment, her fingertips lingered there until she couldn't resist and placed her hand on his cheek instead of taking it back. His warmth was so reassuring it was easy for her to close her eyes and started drifting off to sleep.
Moments later, her eyes flew open once again when he stirred.
"Did I wake you?" she asked quietly.
Alibaba lightly shook his head. His golden eyes bored into her crimson ones. His face was still a bit red but he was now sober and perfectly awake. In fact, he had been awake for a while. Morgiana was about to take her hand back when he reached up and place his hand over hers. He could hear her breath catching when he took the said hand and kissed her knuckles.
It made him smile.
Having a hundred years all to himself was a curse, and somehow a privilege. Apart from gaining his new ability, he had also thought about a lot of things, countless times, and one of those things was her — how much she would change, what he would do when they finally met again and what to make of the promise from years ago.
When she went to Balbadd with him, he promised her that he would wait until they could be together. The night before he and Aladdin went to see Hakuryuu — the last time they talked to each other before he died — he told her that he would be back soon.
But he didn't and he had always regretted that.
Ever since he came back to life, he had wanted to see her and he was glad when he did. Morgiana had become more confident and expressive over the years. Now, everything about her radiated femininity but at the same time, she was still that same strong, amazing girl he remembered and among all the overwhelming changes he had seen in the world, her presence soothed his heart dearly. The fact that she was still wearing the necklace he gave her also simplified every thought that had ever crossed his mind.
"I'm sorry I didn't come back sooner." he said softly, "Thank you for waiting for me, even if you were the one who asked me to wait."
Smiling had become surprisingly natural for her after their reunion. So, Morgiana smiled — a radiant smile that was reserved only for him. Her smile faltered slightly at the thought of Hakuryuu. He was their important friend — her important friend. She needed to tell Alibaba.
"Do you still remember the day Hakuryuu-san left us?" she hesitantly began then continued after he nodded, "That day, he proposed to me and I said no."
Despite his unchanged expression, Alibaba was surprised. Suddenly, things started to make more sense to him, from the way Morgiana stopped him that day to the way Hakuryuu and Aladdin acted today, and he couldn't help but feel bad that he had never really thought about it that way before, even when he had all the time in the world.
After both of them fell into silence for a while, he finally asked, "Have you ever regretted it?"
Her answer was immediate, "No."
She firmly squeezed his hand, "I've decided a long time ago that I would stay by your side. It doesn't matter who I am to you. Being able to see you alive and happy is enough for me." She paused then thoughtfully added with a small reassuring smile, "And he understands."
The sincerity in her voice made his heart flutter involuntarily. That was the moment Alibaba knew, for sure, that he could never love anyone the way he loved her.
"I love you." he breathed and squeezed her hand back, looking solely into her eyes.
There was silence and then the sound of their racing heartbeats.
Years ago, they had shared a bed — together with Aladdin — for months in Sindria. He was a restless sleeper. It wasn't rare for her to end up as his body pillow.
During their journey to Balbadd and after their arrival, it became his routine to talk to her quietly, in the silence of the night, about his worries and doubts — about things, until either of them fell asleep.
Intentionally or not, he had often shown her small gestures of affection, in which she didn't quite comprehend and wasn't able to respond properly.
Years ago, he had a war to win, a country to protect and a political marriage to figure out. She tried her very best to be his support.
Now was different.
Instinctively, Alibaba wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer towards him, pleased that she didn't shy away from his embrace. Instead, she sunk in further, gladly letting his warmth welcome her. They were so close, enough for her to be spellbound by the emotions swirling in his eyes. They glowed like a star in the night sky.
Before she could do anything else, he flipped over, pressing her smaller frame onto the mattress, and captured her lips with his.
Their kiss wasn't anything like what Morgiana had imagined. It was purely chaste. Her nose tingled with a faintly bitter smell of alcohol. The way his fingers traced along her jawline, tilting her chin up to meet him, and the way his lips moved against hers were so gentle it made her heart swoon so badly it started to ache.
But she didn't hate it, not one bit and she kissed him back even if she didn't know how.
They were so deprived of each other ever since the day he died — perhaps even before. That much was obvious when their sweet innocent touch gradually became more desperate and heady. His hand stroked her cheek. Her fingers tangled in his hair as they tasted each other's lips for the first time. Neither knew when the first ended or the second started.
It lasted until the moment he noticed tears rolling down her cheeks.
Morgiana was crying, so silently even she herself was surprised when he pulled back and wiped her tears away. Once she acknowledged the fact, she tried to cover her face with her hand, cheeks flushed, breathless.
"I'm sorry.. I—" she stammered, "It's just.. " she stopped, struggling to express the waves of emotions which were all still too foreign to her, and bit her lip to hold back her tears, "I missed you and I'm really happy."
Being the person she was, Morgiana rarely ever cried, even after his death or even after she knew he was still alive. She had never planned to break down in front of anyone, especially him. The worry in his eyes was visible but at this point, she couldn't stop despite herself.
Alibaba smiled, almost bitterly.
He could feel his heart breaking and mending itself all over again at the sight and for once, he was thankful that fate didn't let them be together before he died. It hurt just to imagine how brokenhearted she would have been.
Without words, he shifted to his side, guiding her to face him. His eyes softened when he grasped her hand, forcing her to look at him in the eyes. Repeatedly, his hand caressed her cheeks, fingers wiping away the tears as she let them fall freely. She closed her eyes and leaned into the warmth of his touch as he waited patiently until her tears were no more, tugging errant strands of red hair behind her ear after she stilled.
The moment their gaze met again, he decided.
"From now on, let's be happy together." he said with a smile. It sounded like a promise and this one he meant to keep, "I'm not going anywhere."
"I won't let you." she blurted out with a glint of fierce determination dancing in her eyes and she meant every word she said.
Just as determined, he replied, "I won't, either."
His smile turned into a boyish grin — the one she had fallen in love with over and over again. As if it was contagious, soon, she smiled back at him — an expression he had never known she was capable of making until today, a smile that still mesmerised him every time he saw it, the most beautiful one that he silently vowed to cherish and he was willing to prove it for the rest of his life.
For now, he settled for another kiss, a gentle peck on the forehead, and held her closer, declaring, "I'm back, Morgiana."
With the same smile plastered on her face, she cooed, "Welcome back, Alibaba-san."