hey there! so this is the original ending I had for Love Like Winter but as I was finishing it off yesterday the other one popped into my head and I decided to go with that instead. so here is literally the last of this mini-series before I head back to the main. thanks so much for reading!
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"Excellent work, Virum."
Clarus praised Athenacia for a job well done. She just led the Glaive through a practice that enabled them to destroy the magic suppressors and win this little fight. Gladiolus was there as well, Cor making his appearance at some point during the operation. She was standing in front of them, still shy but every bit the soldier she was trained as despite her current attire.
"Thank you, sir," she replied graciously.
He nodded, "Sorry to pull you out like that."
"It's no trouble sir," she assured him with a smile.
He returned it before looking between her and his son quickly, "Gladiolus, you're relieved for the night."
The younger man nodded at his father before he began to walk away. Athenacia turned toward Cor expectantly, wondering how he was going to ruin this for her. But instead, he just nodded at her, walking away with his friend. She was stunned, not expecting this turn of events at all. Gladiolus, however, took her hand and led her away from where they were. He brought her back to the ball, only they stopped at the coat check instead of going back inside. He nodded at her and she grabbed her coat, pulling it over her shoulders before the two of them left without another word to anyone. The festivities still echoed in the long corridors behind them but they didn't care. He had something else in mind and he only had a limited time to do it. And he was done sharing her with the rest of the city.
As they came back out into the crisp air the sky seemed to have cleared. Perfect. His car was pulled up and they both got inside, Athenacia turning up the heat more than she really needed to. He didn't understand why she was so cold all the time. She always felt so abnormally warm to him. Dropping the thought, he made his way out of the Citadel and down the bare streets of Insomnia. A giant weight lifted off of his shoulders now that no one else was looking at or for her. He stole glances at her, but her eyes were fixated out the window. Surely she was a little drunk thanks to the amount of champagne she consumed, but even still she commanded those Glaives like a professional and it made him admire her all the more for it. He reached out his hand, taking hers and causing her to smile shyly at him.
Had the night started off differently he would have asked her to be there with him. Gladiolus would have proudly shown her off to anyone while making it clear that she belonged to him only. Wouldn't have mattered if he was working or not because he would be watching and everyone knew that. But it wasn't like that at all. They weren't on speaking terms and it as up to him to repair the rift that she obviously couldn't. While he was content to just watch her for the night the sudden arrival with Cor had people speculating about her relationship. Then she was announced as a hero by the King himself which also had heads turning her direction. With the way she took his breath away, he knew that others would react in a similar manner, especially since he was nowhere to be seen with her. That made things look like she really was back on the market and Prompto decided that getting on his last nerve was the best course of action. He just couldn't believe that he had gotten not only Noctis involved but Ignis as well. Sure, it provoked the Shield into action but now she had other people trying to get on her good side and he was determined to remind her that there really weren't any better options. It was a little childish to be so possessive he knew, but he couldn't help himself when it came to her. It wasn't often anyone saw this side of her, himself included. Gladiolus squeezed her hand gently, loving how she just came with him without question. She always did, never complained about where he was dragging her next. Maybe he really had broken through some of those walls after all.
His silent musings were short as he pulled up to a very familiar spot. The smile on her face told him that she remembered exactly what this place was from the last time they saw each other. He got out of the car, quickly going to his trunk and grabbing what he needed. He heard her door close and frowned slightly. Again he forgot about her shoes in the snow. What was wrong with him? Athenacia smiled slightly at him, and he simply lifted her once again to stop her from getting frostbite on her feet. Her eyes were a little wild but he didn't give her much time to react. Actually, without her trailing behind him the walk was a lot quicker than usual. She was virtually weightless so it didn't really slow him down at all. He set her down gently once they arrived and she quickly set fire to their last one after he uncovered it. Grumbling a bit about the magic, he didn't do anything about it, just looked her over. She was probably cold in that outfit, obviously not made for the winter night. Setting the bag down, she helped him with what she could though her movements were limited in that dress and he was fine with what he had. He joined her on the blanket, wrapping it around her legs so that she was warm and not sitting a little too close to the fire.
"You're pretty amazing yourself you know," he said lightly.
She flushed, keeping her gaze on the dancing flames before her, "It was nothing, really."
"That was not nothing. You'll have to show me a thing or two one day."
Athenacia laughed, "You mean you don't know everything? Are you ill? What happened to your ego?"
He grinned at her, "You can see it later."
The wolfish smile he gave her and eyebrow raise made her flush further. He loved teasing her and would have continued had there not been other obligations he had to meet. Gladiolus wrapped an arm around her back, pulling her to him and bringing his lips to her ear.
"You ready?" he asked.
"For what?" she looked at him confused.
He smirked, bringing her down. Just as her head hit his chest the fireworks started. Her eyes widened in wonder, a smile spreading across her lips. Insomnia always had the best fireworks show, and she had been around most of the country to know that for sure. Athenacia let out a content sigh as his arms around her helped her stay warmer than she thought. She didn't know why she was always so cold but she was. Not that it mattered, she was watching fire in the sky while in the arms of a man she... well she wasn't sure how she felt about him but she knew she liked him a lot. She was such a mess when it came to feelings she tried to just ignore them and submerge herself in her work. But since he started chasing her down she began to slowly break out of her shell and see the world again. The one that was still there despite everything that happened to her, the good parts that she had forgotten about in her own misery.
Without warning, she moved so that she could kiss him soundly. He wasn't really expecting it but the way she clung to him made him think only about her. The wasted time they spend having hurt feelings at each other was going to be made up for. They both had a giant wall full of shit between them and their own emotions but the more they were around each other the easier it became to experience a vulnerability that they barely knew. Athenacia was still recovering from heartache, making her timid when it came to trusting anyone with such a powerful possession like her heart while he was never good at dealing with emotions period. Not his own anyway. She gave him that same look she had the last time they were here and it filled him so much affection for her. If they can bounce back from this let the world throw everything its got at them. He claimed her again, only this time he was a little more fierce.
Gladiolus undid the buttons of her coat, her hitched breath at his cold fingers on her bare skin causing her to break apart from him for a moment. But he pulled her close, making the gap between them disappear as his hand ran all over her body. He rolled them so that he was atop her, holding himself up while he took a moment to look at her. She had that same dreamy look in her hazel eyes, the one that drove him wild whenever he saw it. He kissed her again, knowing that those eyes were only for him and letting the last of his uncertainty die at this moment. She rolled her hips ever so slightly into him, but in a way that she grazed his most sensitive flesh and forced him to grunt. His hand started to make its way up her dress slowly and she shuddered beneath him. She wasn't cold anymore, instead filled from the core with a burning desire for the man above her. And she knew he felt the same way she did.
The fireworks still sounded above them, drowning out her cries after he buried himself deep within her. All the teasing and heartache gone in the moment that they were finally able to show each other the depths of their feelings. They were swept up in their own passion, everything around them disappearing so that it was only him and her. He caught her eye and held her gaze. She was still looking at him the same way as before and it nearly drove him over the edge. Her cries grew more urgent and he complied with her every wish. He would give her the world should she so desire it and he knew that she would never ask him for a thing. He held her gaze still, unable to look away. His thumb ran over her bottom lip a little rough before he let out a small growl and captured her lips once more.
She held him close while continued to fill her to the brim. But she did not break their connection, not any of them in any way. Her mind was on him only and she berated herself for the childish way she had acted. She let all her walls fall down, allowing him inside like he deserved. And she didn't regret it. She had to break apart and let out a thunderous cry as he finally gave her what she wanted. It echoed in the woods and died with the last of the fireworks. Her body was hit with wave after wave of pure bliss, her head in a complete haze after what he had just done to her. Her legs were numb, her body still feeling him within her walls until he too joined her shortly after. He was coated in a thick sweat, as was she but it was so rewarding. She found his gaze again, seeing the full force of how he felt about her in those amber eyes. Only he could ever make her feel the way that she did and she pulled him down for a chaste kiss.
Time stopped despite that they were still moving. The two lovers shared a moment that only belonged to them. A moment that would last for always. A love like winter.
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thanks so much! back to the main story!
