This is a Tahu/Gali songfic that was part of a story trade with Saya Moonshadow. The song's called "Kiss Goodnight" by Melissa O'Neil. Enjoy!
I'm not gonna sleep 'til 8 in the morning
Way too many thoughts in my head
I could lie awake and drive myself crazy
Or go back to see you instead
Gali sat on the edge of the dock in Ga-Koro. It was almost midnight, and the moon bathed the deep blue sea in its gentle silver glow while the stars formed twinkling clusters in the sky. On any normal occasion, the Toa of Water would have been admiring this breathtaking sight and thinking of little else.
However, Gali's thoughts weren't directed at admiring the scenery; instead, her mind was occupied by the thought of a certain Toa that had at once infuriated and intrigued her only a few hours ago…
-
Gali ran up to Tahu as the late afternoon Le-Wahi sun reflected off her golden Kaukau. The normally calm Toa's face was blazing with fury as she glared at the Toa of Fire.
"HOW COULD YOU HAVE LET THAT TAHNOK ESCAPE?!" she shrieked, her voice ringing throughout the Wahi. "And without removing its Krana, no less!"
Tahu sighed. "Look, Gali. I only stopped chasing it because you tripped and fell, and I wanted to make sure you weren't hurt."
Gali rolled her eyes. "Why would you worry about ME, Tahu? YOUR job was to catch the Bohrok. I can take a little fall."
"But I—" Tahu was cut off as Gali snorted. "Excuses, excuses. You just blew our chance to rid this island of another Bohrok, and all you can say is that you were worried about my well-being."
"But, Gali, that's not the only reason," said Tahu quietly. "The thing is, I—"
"You can apologize to the Turaga later." And with that, the Toa of Water strode angrily back to her Koro, leaving Tahu alone in the forest clearing.
-
Gali frowned as she recalled that memory. What had come over her? She shouldn't have gotten that upset; after all, her reputation as one of the calmest Toa hadn't been obtained overnight. It just didn't seem right that one of the calmest Toa should have such an outburst…
Amidst all these confusing questions, there was only one thing that was clear to Gali. She had to find Tahu and apologize to him for her outburst. And she had to do it now, while the memory of her regretful actions was still fresh.
Leaping to her feet, Gali activated her Kakama and ran off into the night, feet making wet footprints in the sand as she made her way to Ta-Koro.
I've gotta go by your place
It's late at night, we had a fight, and I can't sleep
It's not alright
So we can make up face to face
'Cause I know that nothing's right
'Til I get my kiss goodnight
Over-thinking, rehearsing my lines
Trying to figure out what to say
I missed a few stop signs, it's 3 in the morning
And I don't really care who's to blame
Meanwhile, as Gali was rushing to the village of fire, Tahu was making his own trek through the Charred Forest to the village of water. He was in a hurry, seeing as Gali would be in bed at any minute now; she always waited until the moon reflected on the waves before going to sleep, and the moon itself was clouding over. As well, while Tahu was heading through the forest and trying not to trip on any fallen branches, he was also thinking about what he was going to say to Gali.
When she had approached Tahu in the clearing earlier that day, he had been rehearsing what he was going to say to Gali about a very serious subject. You see, the Toa of Fire had feelings for Gali that extended beyond friendship, and he had been waiting for an opportune moment to express those feelings. So, when Gali had walked up, Tahu was about to speak the lines he had been rehearsing in his head for so long when she had started yelling at him.
Despite his best efforts to speak, the unnatural fury Gali was displaying alarmed him, and he tried to express what he had wanted to say despite the risk of making the Toa of Water even more emotional with that information. It hadn't worked out, however, and so he had been left with even more stress due to the pressure those unsaid words were placing on him.
But Tahu had decided to unburden his feelings after all, and after much thinking had decided to talk to Gali that very evening. He would do it around midnight, when he was sure she would be in Ga-Koro and unoccupied. And that was what had brought him to the Charred Forest, and he smiled slightly as a familiar azure figure crashed through the underbrush about a metre away from him.
"Hey," he said quietly, at which Gali looked up in shock.
"Tahu? What are you doing here?"
I've gotta go by your place
'Cause things we said stuck in my head
It's time we put this thing to bed
So we can make up face to face
'Cause I know that nothing's right
Until I get my kiss goodnight
It's a little thing with you and me
But it means everything
It's all I need to find my peace of mind
And dream
"Never mind that," he said quickly as he walked forward. "You see, Gali, I have something I need to tell you."
"Me too," answered Gali, "but I can't imagine what you would want to say to me…"
"Well, I can. The thing is, Gali…" Tahu took a deep breath and spoke. "I love you."
Then he stepped forward and slowly kissed the Toa of Water, his emotions taking over from where his mind had left off.
As soon as Tahu stepped back again, there was a stunned silence from Gali, after which she spoke in a shaky voice.
"Er, Tahu? I-I'm sorry about my outburst earlier. I wasn't thinking straight, you see, and I…"
"That's okay," said Tahu as he placed a crimson hand on Gali's shoulder. "Now, I think we'd best both get to bed, seeing as we're both tired."
Gali nodded, and with that the two Toa set off to their separate villages. However, when they got home, both Tahu and Gali would lie in bed and think about the kiss goodnight they shared…
I've gotta go by your place
So we can make up face to face
'Cause I know that nothing's right
'Til I get my kiss goodnight…